You'll Always Live in the Castle
by twinrose84
Summary: Mirage and Jatika join forces to loop Aladdin's friends into stealing a tragically cursed gem that threatens to destroy Aladdin and everyone he loves in the realm of bringing their most horrific nightmares to life. Can Aladdin overcome the misunderstandings and dangerous events long enough to stay alive and determine who's really pulling the strings?
1. Chapter 1 - A Bejeweled Curse

_Author's Note: Hi everyone. This is a new story in the Aladdin universe I've crafted within the past few months while I've been on hiatus from the site and also working on the final chapters of ongoing stories I've updated here. This story doesn't have any direct affiliation with the similarly named Shirley Jackson tale (though that story is one of my favorites) despite the name. However, I took inspiration in the vein of similar stories for making this Aladdin tale more on the side of suspense/thriller/horror with humor spaced between. As usual, the characters and locales in the Aladdin universe belong to their respective creators, while the story and original characters here are my own - I'm just here to tell a fun story. Hope you enjoy._

_The villains in this one are Mirage and Jatika, one of my original villains from "Fear Itself". You don't have to read that or subsequent stories in which Jatika's featured to get this one, but it gives context as to the kind of character he is and what havoc he's already wrecked with Aladdin and his friends. :P_

_Synopsis: Mirage and Jatika join forces to loop Aladdin's friends into stealing a tragically cursed gem that threatens to destroy Aladdin and everyone he loves in the realm of bringing their most horrific nightmares to life. Can Aladdin overcome the misunderstandings and dangerous events long enough to stay alive and determine who's really pulling the strings?_

_**"You'll Always Live in the Castle"**_

_Chapter 1: A Bejeweled Curse_

Mirage wasn't used to working with others when it came to enacting her plans of vengence. There were a few exceptions, given that she'd worked with Chaos and Mozenrath on previous schemes against Aladdin and his friends in Agrabah, but the excursion she found herself on this night was different to say the least.

She met with a shapeshifting imp who controlled an otherworld called the Moonstone Oasis, a cursed land that was not far from Agrabah and would make it easier for her to observe what Aladdin and others were doing. The imp had sent her a message through the multiverse, saying that he had a definitive plan to destroy Aladdin and overtake Agrabah in creating a city continuously plagued by fear. That mention intrigued her enough to arrive the first night of the blood moon, when the magic of the Moonstone Oasis was at its peak. She agreed on the spot, but now she was impatient to meet with the imp to see what his contribution would be. She had her own ideas in mind.

"Well, I'll be. You're quite the pretty kitty to arrive in my domain. Welcome to my lovely abode," Jatika said, appearing cross-legged while floating over the lake at the entrance to the Moonstone Oasis. The moon hovered over the water, making it appear like a pool of blood rather than a body of water. Mirage found the eerie setting charming. But the imp had a menacing appearance - sunken eyes, large jagged teeth, sharp claws on thin hands. She silently thanked the universe that this seemingly small creature was on her side. She recognized he had an immense amount of dark magic power from his aura.

"Just remember that flattery gets you nowhere with me," she purred. "I take it that you're Jatika, the mastered imp of fear magic?"

"That I am. The pleasure is all mine, Miss Mirage." Jatika bowed.

"Mirage will do, though I'm not opposed to your formality," she said with a grin. "I take it we're meeting regarding a certain enemy that we share. Do tell - I _love_ a good tale of pending destruction."

Jatika's full tooth grin quickly faded. "Yes, my pretty. I wanted to meet with you regarding the prince of Agrabah, Aladdin. He and his comrades have had no end in foliling my plans to destroy them and turn Agrabah into a city of fear to feed my magic. It makes an imp rather lonely to say the least. However, I may have a solution that will get rid of the brat once and for all. I would like your help."

"You're bold." Mirage folded her arms across her chest. "I'm definitely on board with any plan that destroys Aladdin and their whole lot, but what would I get in turn for helping you?"

Jatika raised a brow. "How about front row seats to watching his reaction to everyone he loves dying, as well as having a hand in his own demise?"

Mirage stopped short of her jaw dropping open. She recovered quickly, her eyes dancing with glee in the moonlight. "Oooh, you have me _intrigued_. Stop being such a _tease_ and tell me - what do you need?"

Jatika went right to the point. "Have you heard of the mist demon, Cergul?"

Mirage turned the name over in her mind a few times - pronounced the same way as "sir" and "ghoul". "It sounds familiar to me, but I know of so many demon names that it's hard to remember their individual stories. Refresh my memory."

Jatika cleared his throat. "Cergul is something of a tragic tale of bitterness and misery from a demon who wanted to be left to his own devices. He was once a human who lived in a small village and kept to himself - his human name has been lost to time. He was accused of stealing from one of his neighbors. The neighbor ended up dying of mysterious circumstances after publicly accusing Cergul of the crime. The villagers began to suspect that Cergul killed the neighbor to shut him up, so in mob form, they decended upon the house and killed the innocent man. The truth, however, was that another neighbor made up the crime, just so he could kill Cergul and take the possessions from both dead men. Simple jealousy, really."

Mirage's eyes widened. "That's particularly nefarious. I take it this tale doesn't have a happy ending for the living neighbor."

Jatika shook his head. "For that neighbor or the whole village, actually. You see, Cergul's spirit was beyond grief or anger at the truth of things. His spirit manifested in the form of a demonic mist that killed every single person involved in his murder. The survivors of that mist fled the village, never to return. For a while, Cergul presided over the haunted town, killing any who sought to steal from the village or disturb him. It wasn't until a minor sorcerer used a gem to trap and bind Cergul's spirit that the town began to prosper again. That gem has kept Cergul trapped for many, many years. Centuries, I presume. The overarching lesson here is that anyone greedy enough to steal the gem of Cergul - and set him free from his confines - will be placed upon with a curse of death for their greed. Anyone they may care about will be cursed as well - killed by their own nightmares brought to life."

Mirage rolled her eyes. "Let me take a guess at where this is going - you want me to find where Cergul's gem is in the cosmos?"

"Yes, and link it as an accessible dimension in the Moonstone Oasis."

"What next after that?" Mirage asked, frowning. "Aladdin is too much of a goody-goody to steal a gem like that. He isn't motivated by greed or trinkets. He already has his treasure - in that icky lovey-dovey relationship he has with the Princess of Agrabah." She stuck her tongue out in a disgusted expression at the thought of Aladdin and Jasmine's open affection for each other.

Mirage watched as Jatika's grin took over his entire features. "I never said I wanted _Aladdin_ to steal the gem. He has greedy friends. _ Extremely_ greedy friends. And if we can have those greedy friends somehow loop him into the curse of Cergul's gem..."

Mirage slowly came to recognize Jatika's plan, her own grin transforming her features. "That IS intriguing. In that case, _dear Jatika_, you have a deal."

The two of them laughed in such a way that their laughs carried on the wind outside of the Moonstone Oasis, causing - not for the first time - a group of traveling merchants with parched throats to turn and race back in the direction which they came.

* * *

The following night, the second evening of the blood-hued full moon, Iago and Abu happened to be in the streets of Agrabah, walking close to the Thieves' Den. Their trek to the den was not by conicidence. Iago rubbed his wings together in eager anticipation, while Abu appeared as if he'd rather be curled up on a pillow eating the last banana from the royal kitchen.

"This is it, Monkey! This is the night they're holding the biggest auction in the Thieves' Den. There are gonna be treasures from Getzistan and many kingdoms over. We're gonna be in the company of some fine items for the taking!"

Abu calmly pointed out - in a series of screeches - that neither he nor Iago had the money to access anything at an auction, let alone anything from the Thieves' Den. He also screeched that if they tried to take any extra money from the palace treasure room that Aladdin would notice and they would be in a great deal of trouble.

"Who said anything about us having money to participate in this auction? We're not bidding, we're scooping up the prizes. And we'll do it without anybody else noticin' that the trinkets are missing. We just have to be selective in what we get, monkey boy." Iago said all this while putting a wing around Abu's shoulders as if he were telling the monkey a closely guarded secret. Abu could only roll his eyes and say "Oh, brother."

Abu wasn't sure how they would be able to steal anything without any of the thieves noticing. The place was packed, a line leading out of the entrance for the thieves waiting to be seated at their tables for the auction. Abu knew they were going through the front door, but slipping in where no human could fit through in the side of the den. Yet, even as Iago and Abu managed to slip into the back storage area, his eyes widened at the number of jeweled items that peeked out from under various drapes and cloths.

"Eyes on much less sparkly and huge things, Abu - we're not tryin' to get caught here." Iago warned. He was quieter than usual - one of the rare occasions when Iago could be quiet. Abu wasn't sure if he thought of that as a blessing or a curse. Or if it was a sign what they were going to do was _really_ bad.

Iago happened upon two items that caught his eye - a scroll and a jeweled hairpin. He wiggled his eyebrows towards Abu. "I don't think anyone's gonna miss these two small things. A scroll can be anything, but..." Iago unrolled the scroll and whistled. "This looks like a treasure map...I knew it! The rumors were true!"

"Shhh!" Abu put a finger to his lips and gestured towards the door, likely where several guards stood. They had beefed up security for that specific night, and it had been hard for Abu and Iago to scurry unnoticed. It was like the guards were looking for the rats on the streets to actually be thieves themselves.

Iago got the message. "Let's see...there's gotta be an empty, spare scroll somewhere around here. Monkey, look over there and see if you see any scrolls that don't have dust on them. We gotta make it look like this one."

Abu rolled his eyes, looking over several scrolls. He was able to pull one that fit Iago's description, but it was hard to lift it. He ended up having to roll it over to where Iago was perched on the table. Iago groaned.

"Must I do all the dirty work? _Fine!_" Iago flew down and picked up the scroll with his claws. He struggled flying upward with it, but Abu helped as much as he could to ease some of the weight and pull it up on the table with the other auction items. That left getting the treasure map scroll down safely. Iago unceremoniously kicked the scroll, leaving Abu scrambling to catch it. The monkey did, but fell backward, causing the scrolls on a nearby shelf to topple and click loudly against each other. It was enough to stir the attention of the guards outside. One of them was vocal enough to voice their annoyance just before attempting to unlock the door.

"Hey, you hear somethin'? It think it came from the room with the goods."

Iago looked at Abu with an expression of panic. "I told you that we needed to be quiet! We gotta go now!" he said with a harsh whisper. Abu didn't need to be told twice. The two of them scurried out of the room the way they came in just before two annoyed guards came into the room. They didn't stick around long enough to see whether or not the guards noticed the missing items.

* * *

Over the skyline of Agrabah that same night, but a little later, Aladdin flew on Carpet, looking downward through the streets of Agrabah. It was a cool night, but the sight of the red moon on the horizon set Aladdin's jaw on edge. On nights when the moon was full, he didn't mind the sight and flying above the clouds to get as close as he possibly dared to it. But it was nights like this he'd rather not be out looking at the skyline. It looked...

"...Like it gives me the creeps." Aladdin finished his own thought. Carpet moved his knobs as if to question Aladdin's words.

Aladdin smiled a little, his hair whipping back and forth in the wind as Carpet kept a steady pace through the sky. "Sorry, Carpet. I was just thinking about the moon. Doesn't it look weird like that? I know sometimes its the sign of a sandstorm coming, but...the color just makes me feel on edge. Don't really like being out on nights like this. I always think something bad's gonna happen."

Carpet appeared to nod in agreement to Aladdin's words.

"Well, can't help it. I haven't seen Abu or Iago in hours. I'm worried about them. They never said anything about where they were going. They could've at least given us a heads up if they were going to the hiding place, you know? On one of the worst nights in Agrabah to go out, too. I'm not just talking about the moon." He looked downward towards the Thieves' Den, and realized his suspicions were right. There looked to be a huge fight in the streets just outside the Thieves' Den. Aladdin knew it was the auction night there, but he hadn't been to anything like that in a long while, not since he put his thieving days behind him and married Jasmine. He didn't want to get involved unless he had to. He knew how many cutthroats and cutpurses lingered among that crowd.

"What do you think, Carpet? Should we check it out? I'd rather clear my conscience and make sure Abu and Iago aren't anywhere near there."

Carpet answered by taking a swift swan dive down, with Aladdin holding a little tighter on the magic rug's edges for support. Aladdin told himself he didn't want to witness any bloodshed on Agrabah's streets tonight, so he stealthily handled the advance of three thieves wielding knives towards another unarmed group by knocking their heads together and causing them to drop their weapons harmlessly to the sands below.

"Sorry guys, no fighting after curfew in the city limits! You know the rules." Aladdin said with confidence. The unarmed thieves looked relieved, but one of the cutthroats recovered quick enough to shake his fist at Aladdin.

"You would say that, street rat! I wouldn't put it past you to have orchestrated the theft tonight!"

"Who, me? You know that I'm a prince and my stealing days are over, right Taj?" Aladdin recognized the young thief, who glared at Aladdin with sheer hatred. "Besides, what exactly went missing to get you guys all worked up?"

"Don't pretend you don't know! A jeweled hairpin? A scroll detailing a lead to a rare treasure? Ring any_ bells?_!" The thief practically spat the words at Aladdin, but it didn't faze the young prince in the least.

Aladdin pretended to think over the two items mentioned before answering. "Let's see...I don't have any use for a jeweled hairpin and I don't need a treasure map for any treasure, especially if it might be forbidden or fake. So no, I don't know what you mean."

"Curse you, Aladdin! If you're responsible for robbing me of my potential bounty, I'll have your heart impaled on my dagger!" Taj said, moving to pick up his knife, before the other thieves held him back.

"You don't want to pick a fight with him, Taj. Aladdin knows how to fight well. You'll be on the ground and with a knife to your throat before you even know what hit you," one of the thieves said.

"That's one reason," Aladdin noted. "But the other is that if somehow you were wielding that knife and one of the royal guards saw you, you'd be charged with trying to murder a royal official. I'll also pretend I didn't hear that threat. You've got a long enough rap sheet already, Taj. I don't think you want to add to it. Anyway, I'll leave you guys to it - stay out of trouble, will ya?"

"Curse you, Aladdin!" Taj shouted as Aladdin used Carpet to fly back over the skyline of the city.

Aladdin sighed, shaking his head as Carpet flew at a more steady pace. "Okay, so they weren't down there. Tell you what, Carpet, let's head back to our hiding place and search a little while longer, and then if we don't see them, we'll head back to the palace. I just hope those two aren't in way over their heads."


	2. Chapter 2 - A Forbidden Summoning

_Chapter 2: A Forbidden Summoning_

Iago had the gutsy idea to retrieve the gem from the Moonstone Oasis that night instead of waiting until the next day. His reason: to prevent any of the other thieves who might have a copy of the same map from getting to the jewel first.

"Think about it monkey, we got this map from the Thieves' Den - there may be others who might be goin' after the same thing and have other duplicates! We gotta get a head start, even if it looks really creepy outside." Iago winced as he spoke the words, looking up at the full, blood red moon hanging in the sky as they made the trek across the desert sands, just outside the city border.

At the actual oasis, the eeriness was worse. Abu trembled as he walked past the lake where the waters looked like it was full of blood. He was even afraid to skim the surface of it with his tail, nevermind drinking it. He nearly dry heaved, covering his mouth as Iago led the way, focused fully on the map.

Luckily, the map led them into the forest, where they reached their destination faster than they imagined.

Iago's eyes were as round and wide as saucers. "There's _a temple_ here! I don't remember this being here the last time Al and the rest of us were around, do ya?"

"Uh-uh." Abu replied, looking at the ivory structure with curiousity. It looked ominous with the red light of the moon shining through the trees. Abu couldn't help but also notice how quiet their surroundings were. No other signs of life appeared around them. He cringed thinking about some of the group's previous adventures at the Moonstone Oasis. Aladdin's first trek there had him rescuing a merchant named Warek that had gotten lost. Turned out that Jatika, a fear-feeding, magic wielding imp, had captured and tortured the poor merchant. After that, Jatika set his sights on tormenting Aladdin - capturing and placing him under a series of fear related spells, even impersonating Jafar. Since that encounter, Aladdin and their group had crossed paths with Jatika more times than they would've liked.

Abu did not want to cross Jatika that evening, particularly during their search.

"Monkey, keep up already! If ya want any share of the treasure, you have to do the work too!" Iago called out to him. Abu snapped out of his thoughts long enough to follow the parrot into the temple.

* * *

"_Abu! Iago!_" Aladdin called out to the two as he reached his hiding place. He took a few shaky breaths, having called out to them several times as he flew through the city on Carpet. It was late at night, far beyond any acceptable time for anyone to be out. Aladdin didn't think Jasmine knew he was out this late. He looked around his hiding place at the familiar beds, pottery, and drapery. Nothing appeared out of place - no signs that anyone had been there since earlier that day. Earlier that evening, Aladdin had helped Jasmine run a few errands in the Marketplace, and she'd stopped through to get a few pieces of upholstery that Aladdin stored temporarily.

"What do you think Carpet? Should we let Genie know? I know he's supposed to be back from his diplomatic trip tomorrow, and I don't wanna wake Jasmine this late." Aladdin found his words trailing off as he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, trying to think of things he could do. Carpet used one of his knobs to pat Aladdin reassuringly on his shoulder.

Aladdin sighed. "I know I shouldn't be worried, but it's not like those two to disappear like this without saying anything. We'll circle back around the outskirts of the city and streets before we go back to the palace. If they're not back, then we might need to rub the lamp and have Genie come back earlier than expected. I don't think we have a choice."

Carpet appeared to agree, as much as Aladdin could interpret his friend's gestures. "Okay, it's a plan. Carpet, let's move."

* * *

Iago huffed and puffed as he and Abu arrived within the palace library. They ran and flew (in alternating motions) all the way from the Moonstone Oasis and didn't stop for too long anywhere until they were on the Palace steps. Iago had a brilliant grey pearl gem, with ancient black symbols carved in the sides, safely tucked into an otherwise inconspicuous sack that he hid along the shelves of the library. "We're gonna have to take safe precautions while we have the cargo, Abu. No one knows where this gem's gonna be but you and me. _ Capiche_?"

Abu wasn't sure what the latter word meant, but he nodded anyway. He was far too tired to stay awake, but Iago insisted that they'd hide the jewel first within the palace. Abu had been the one to suggest hiding the gem in the royal library, since it hasn't been used in a while. Aladdin would sometimes look up random myths and stories corresponding to adventures he'd been on, alongside any royal protocols he wasn't accustomed to since becoming a sultan-in-training. Jasmine would read stories from other kingdoms she hadn't yet visited, sometimes reading with Aladdin before they would go on rides with Carpet.

"That just leaves us with the research. Ugh, I hate this part, but it's the only way we can know what kind of riches await us. Just think, monkey, if we can discover how much that gem is worth, we can make some _major moola_!"

"What are you guys doing?"

Iago nearly jumped out of most of his feathers at the familar voice coming from behind him. Abu felt his own fur bristle, but seeing Aladdin's familar form made him feel a little at ease. The prince was already in sleep clothes, shirtless with dark blue pants and golden waves printed on his pajama bottoms. He wasn't wearing a fez, and his hair was slightly damp, like he'd washed it not long before he saw them. He was leaning within the door frame, his arms folded across his chest. His expression traded between exhaustion and being not too happy with the two of them from what Abu could tell.

"Don't _scare_ me like that, kid! _Geez_." Iago said. "I have a short enough life span already."

"You wanna talk about scared? Both of you were gone for most of the day and evening and it's only a few hours until sunrise now. I just got dressed to go to sleep because I heard you come in not long ago. I looked all over the city for you guys!"

"Aladdin wait up?" Abu asked, feeling his heart pinch with guilt.

Aladdin's expression softened a little. "Yeah, Abu. Not that I mind. I was making sure nothing bad happened to you two."

"Well, we're just doin' a little research around town, not much to see." Iago said casually.

Aladdin raised a brow, his expression not casual or amused. "Research, huh? Research being around a certain scuffle at the Thieves' Den?"

Iago had to force himself to keep his expression light. _Sometimes the kid is too good at guessin' the truth_, Iago thought, _either that or he knows a liar cause he knows how to lie._ "Nah, but we saw it. Not our kinda scene, it looked equal parts entertaining and deadly. Deadly we definitely don't do."

"Uh huh," Abu said, finding it easy to agree with Iago because they had seen part of the fallout at the Thieves Den coming back from the Moonstone Oasis. What they saw made the monkey glad he didn't stick around long enough to find out what those cutthroats ended up doing.

Aladdin's shoulders visibly relaxed. "Well, as long as you two are in one piece and staying away from trouble. Just...if you are going anywhere, at least tell someone you'll be out a while."

"Not like you haven't done the same before, Al. You go out on your own playin' hero just 'cause ya can. I smell a hypocrite."

"_Hey_, that's different!" Aladdin said, but stopped short at the thought. The parrot wasn't wrong, but then again, Aladdin thought back to one of Genie's comments about a broken clock being right twice a day and how true that was for most of Iago's commentary. He sighed. He ran the fingers of one of his hands through his hair.

Abu scurried Aladdin's side and perched onto his shoulder, giving a long yawn before stretching his exhausted limbs.

Aladdin stroked the monkey's fur. "Abu, you're a little on edge there. You okay?"

Abu briefly glanced towards the window in the library, where the moon shone overhead. Aladdin nodded, understanding as his voice went quiet. "Yeah, I get it. It looks pretty intense outside. I think this is supposed to be the longest time we've gone with the blood moon cycles over Agrabah. Don't worry, though. It won't look like this forever."

"I kinda just want to go to sleep early enough so I don't even have to see the moon lookin' like that at all, at least until it's completely over," Iago said, wincing.

"Well, you better get as much sleep as you can now, so you won't have to look at it for long. Come on, Abu, let's turn in. If it makes you feel any better, I'll make you a banana sundae in the afternoon to celebrate Genie arriving back tomorrow."

"Yum!" Abu readily licked his lips.

"Sure, _bribe_ the monkey with food, where's _my_ share?" Iago asked as he flew behind where Aladdin and Abu stepped out of the door to the library and in the royal hallway.

"I was gonna offer something, but then I remembered a certain bird calling me a hypocrite," Aladdin said with a sly grin while looking over his other shoulder at Iago.

"Did I say _hypocrite_? I meant you really like_ getting in the thick of it_ when it comes to exploring. The initiative is really admirable..." Iago kept going even as Aladdin and Abu started laughing as they made their way to their sleeping wing of the palace.

* * *

Aladdin, much to his chagrin, had to get up his regular time to help Jasmine run errands in the city again, this time to get things ready for Genie's homecoming and celebrating a milestone in making several diplomatic trips on behalf of the palace to other kingdoms.

In the meantime, Iago and Abu figured it was as good a time as any in the early part of the afternoon to do research on the gem they found at the Moonstone Oasis.

When Abu happened upon the first few books about the gem they found, he screeched his excitement. Iago eagerly flew over to him and nudged him aside. "Say...look at this! Judgin' from the carvings, we found a summoning stone! Forget sellin' it for a pretty penny, we might be able to _wish_ our way to some riches!"

Abu calmly pointed out they already had one Genie and didn't need another, but Iago shook his head. "Nah, our Genie's _only_ semi-phenomenal. But this guy might be the _big time_." Iago tapped the gem with a wing to emphasize his point. "There should be some kinda spell to free whatever's in here - if only we can find the same script. Looks like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me, but if it means lookin' for a diamond in a sandpile, I'm gonna try."

Abu and Iago spent more than a few hours pouring over books with similar script, but nothing stood out to them. At least until Abu knocked over a book that opened to ancient script that looked precisely like what they wanted. Iago was able to find the same script within a few moments.

"Perfect, so all we gotta do is read this out phonetically. Ugh, how is this supposed to be read again? I don't get it."

"I dunno," Abu quipped, echoing Iago's confusion. But Abu flipped through the book further to find an alphabet that would help translate the script. He screeched excitedly, letting Iago take the time to put the translation together. When the parrot finished, he took a deep breath.

"Okay monkey, here's the big moment. I just gotta rub the gem between my wings and start reciting this thing three times fast." Iago rubbed the gem slowly at first, rotating it through his features as he recited the script. The first read through made the gem shimmer like waves on an ocean, which put Abu into a glossy-eyed, greedy trance. The second read through made the gem glow in a steady, solid pulse. Iago felt the gem grow warmer, but it didn't feel uncomfortable as he started into the third read of the script. Abu licked his lips in anticipation at first, but something felt horribly wrong as Iago marched closer to the end. The air in the room felt charged, prickling Abu's fur. He saw several of the books in the library suddenly start floating in midair, including the book where they'd found the script that was engraved on the gem.

Abu hadn't seen the text that was on the front cover of the book, but he saw it at the very moment when Iago started yelping at the sight of the gem cycling between colors. The title was "Scripts and Curses".

The latter word filled Abu's stomach with sheer dread.

* * *

"I think that might be the last of the drapes and rugs you wanted, Jasmine," Aladdin said, shuffling boxes in his usual hiding place overlooking the city. "We'll leave it up to Carpet to haul the cargo, and then we can set up everything before Genie gets back to the Palace."

Jasmine wiped her hand over her brow. She'd been tying bows and braiding different colors of fabrics to put as decorations on the drapes. "We've made good time, considering. Genie's not supposed to be here until close to sundown. I'm just really happy he decided to serve as one of Agrabah's premiere representatives."

Aladdin grinned. "He's making a good impression too. I've read from a courier scroll just yesterday that the Sultan of Al-Lesid wants to meet with us for their next annual banquet, thanks to Genie really impressing him and the kingdom at large. It should make for a nice overnight trip on Carpet." Aladdin had to stifle a yawn, which made Jasmine raise a brow at him.

"Did someone stay awake a little too long last night?" Jasmine teased.

Aladdin rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands, his expression sheepish. "I...might've. Only with good intentions."

Jasmine looped her arms around Aladdin's waist as he stood just in front of the window over looking the skyline featuring the palace in a brilliant afternoon glow. "I don't doubt that - but I think as much as we're doing for Genie's return, he wouldn't want you skipping out of a good night's rest."

Aladdin rolled his eyes, even with a grin on his face. "Yeah - that and he wouldn't want me falling asleep while making deserts. I promised Abu I'd make him a banana sundae to commemorate Genie's return. I figure he and Genie could race to see who would finish could finish theirs first."

"That's really nice of you to offer," Jasmine said, as Aladdin returned the gesture of looping his own arms around her. He moved to kiss her, and she tilted her own face to meet his, but she stopped short at the sight of the palace in the corner of her eye. "Aladdin?" Her breath caught slightly on his name, her nerves on edge. She could feel a sudden charge in the air that pricked at her skin.

"What's wrong Jasmine?"

"Look outside. The sky above the Palace." He followed her gaze and his own body tensed. The two of the pulled apart, looking over the skyline.

"What...?" Aladdin's voice, quiet in tone, trailed off at the sight of gathering dark gray clouds that billowed over the skyline. The wind swirled and stirred at the edges of his hair as it picked up in intensity. "We're in the middle of the day in the middle of the desert - why are there clouds over the palace like that?"

"You don't think there's a fire?" Jasmine's eyes widened in horror.

"No, those aren't clouds from smoke.. They look like they're from a on-coming storm, or even something more than that. It's moving too quickly over the city - soon the whole kingdom's gonna go dark." Aladdin could already see a section of the city blocked off from the sun.

Jasmine pursed her lips, her brow narrowed. "I think we should head back."

Aladdin nodded. "Yeah. Let's first secure things here before we go. Carpet, don't bother taking anything with us back to the palace for now. Change of plans." Carpet had arrived in a quick swoop, as if he sensed the change in the air and rushed back to meet Aladdin and Jasmine to see if they were okay. "We need to get out of here as soon as we get things secure. I don't know what that storm is from, but it can't be from anything good."

* * *

Abu and Iago trembled as the large mass of mist errupting from the gem towered over them, speaking in a low rumble that sent shivers down both of their spines.

"_Speak the name of the one whom has disturbed me._"

Iago winced. "Uh...no disturbing parties here. Nothing to see. You can go back to sleep now. We'll just be on our way."

The monster took a more defined shape, his features more human, but twisted in an angry expression glared down at Abu and Iago. "_I will not ask again. Speak the name of the one that whom has released me from the crystal and disturbed me._"

Iago's mind swam with how to answer. It's not that he really wanted to admit that he and Abu freed the spirit, nor did he want to face the disturbing wrath that rumbled from the depths of the form before them. So when he spoke the name that wasn't his own, the intention was to buy time. How much time they would have would be another issue. "Okay, okay! I'll give you a name. The person you need to talk to is Aladdin, Al for short. He's not here for the moment, so maybe if you come back later..."

Abu looked at Iago with horror, disbelief and confusion. "_Aladdin?!_"

The spirit's voice rumbled, not picking up the question in Abu's tone but rather using it as confirmation. "_Aladdin. I will remember that name and seek him out myself. Do not interfere._"

Just as quickly as the horrible mist monster appeared, it was gone, leaving out of the library's window in a furious, clouded rush towards the inner city of Agrabah. The library was left a scene of chaos - furniture knocked about, tables broken, and several books lay scattered on the floor. The room itself was dark and overcast, reflected in the sky outside as if it were a cloudy day in an oasis.

"What the heck just happened?" Iago said in a small, weary voice. Abu was more quick to recover, screeching loudly and shaking Iago out of his horrified stupor.

"I didn't mean to get Al in trouble, monkey - it was just to buy time! You saw that thing, it was ready to rip us apart! We gotta find Al before it finds him. Or you know what, dumb me. We need to get Genie to find Al. Where's the lamp?"

Abu scurried out of the library, only taking a beat before lugging the lamp in, which Iago quickly rubbed despite Abu's protests.

Genie appeared in a business suit checking off a number of things on a long scroll. He wore glasses and spoke in a formal, yet geeky tone. "Let's see here, I've finished perusing the last few kingdoms and my trip to Agrabah should be in the forthcoming hour, a little ahead of schedule." Genie seemed surprised when he saw Abu and Iago staring at him open mouthed. His voice returned to normal. "Oh, hey guys. Say, I know you missed me, but Al and Jas had me running errands at the last few kingdoms before nightfall today and while I _totally_ miss you guys too, I mentioned that you might want to save rubbing the lamp for absolute emergencies..." He trailed off as he looked around the messy library.

"This IS an emergency!" Iago shouted.

Genie reverted to his normal form, surveying the room. "Oh yeah, definitely. A restructuring emergency. So...did you guys loop me in on your plans for remodeling the library, 'cause I'm pretty sure this isn't the way to go about doing it."

Iago yanked hard on the end of Genie's curled beard, bringing the blue semi-phenomenally powered being level to Iago's beak. "Genie, focus, this is not about the library!"

"Well, kinda hard to focus on anything when you don't know what to focus on." Genie said. "Can you give me a hint?"

Abu screeched softly to Iago, who let go of Genie's beard. Genie rubbed his jaw as both Abu and Iago groaned.

Iago was the first to speak. "So Al _might be_ in mortal danger. Again."


	3. Chapter 3 - You'll Always Live in the Ca

_Chapter 3: You'll Always Live in the Castle_

Aladdin, Jasmine and Carpet set out over the skyline of the city, headed back to the Palace. It was getting harder to see with the clouds becoming thicker and directly in the path of where they needed to go. With the wind picking up around the city, Carpet had a hard time pushing through it.

"Is there any way that we can go around it without going through all of that?" Jasmine said, struggling to speak against the wind whipping around them. She gripped tight to the edge of Carpet for balance.

Aladdin's own grip was tight on Carpet. "We can try flying through the streets since we can't see in the skies. Give it all you've got, Carpet."

Carpet saluted with one of his knobs, diving down into the city streets where merchants and residents struggled against the wind to pack their goods or get to their homes.

"What is with this wind?! It wasn't like this before!" One of the merchants complained.

Aladdin called out to him. "Get inside as soon as you can, it's a bad storm!"

"Thank you, your highness! I'll warn as many as I can to do the same!" The merchant answered, rushing towards the inner part of the city. "Stay safe, both of you!"

"We will!" Jasmine said in response before turning to Aladdin. "I think it's getting worse the closer we get to the Palace."

"I hope the Sultan and the others are okay," Aladdin said, his grip tightening on Carpet's edge. "Come on, Carpet, we're almost there. You're doing great."

Just as Carpet gained more momentum, the wind intensified, thrusting all of them backward. Jasmine struggled with her grip, but wasn't able to recover as the wind picked up. "_Aladdin!_" she cried just before she was blown off Carpet.

"_Jasmine!_" He grabbed for her hand, but too late to help. Carpet lost his battle against the wind, causing Aladdin to fall the ground and roll to a halt not far from where Jasmine landed. Aladdin saw her stir, shielding her eyes as the wind blew her hair back from her face.

"_What is this?_" she shouted. "I don't understand where it's coming from!"

Aladdin shook his head, but before he could answer her - the clouds that had been above them suddenly flooded the area with a gray mist. His eyes widened as the mist took on a monstrous shape, narrowed dark brows, an expression of a twisted sneer.

"This isn't an ordinary storm. Guess that should've been obvious," Aladdin said as he stood protectively in front of Jasmine.

The mist monster spoke in a low growl that rumbled through the air like thunder. "_Who is the one called Aladdin?_"

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Do you know what this monster is?"

Aladdin shook his head. "No, I've never seen it before." The wind around him made his steps unsteady, but he pressed forward until he was just a few feet from the monster. "I'm Aladdin! Who are you? Why are you here?"

The monster appeared to laugh, the intensity of the wind picking up and kicking sand clouds that made Aladdin and Jasmine wince as it stung their skin and eyes. "_Foolish. Considering you were the one that summoned me, you now pretend you know nothing about me?_"

Aladdin tensed. "What are you talking about? I never..."

"_SILENCE!_" Aladdin felt the energy in the air shift at that moment. Instead of blowing him away from the monster, the wind whipped around him and propelled him forward, sweeping him off his feet and launching him high into the air.

"_Wait, no!_" Aladdin struggled, his body suspended and limbs unable to coordinate in mid-air. He realized he was so far off the ground that if he dropped, he'd easily die from the fall, but the mist around him latched onto him like shackles over his arms and legs, holding him in place. As the wind whipped around him, he vaguely heard Jasmine call out to him from the ground below. Even as he looked down from where he was held in place, he couldn't see the ground, couldn't see even the hint of buildings in Agrabah, just dark, thick gray mist.

The mist monster hovered over him, speering down with so much disgust that Aladdin flinched under the weight of its gaze. _"You are foolish to attempt to deceive me, Aladdin,"_ it growled. _ "To summon me out of greed was the most foolish thing you could have done. Many men have succumbed to the lure of treasures beyond their wildest dreams, but to mistake my abode for a mere trinket and mistake me for a power slave to do your bidding is a crime I cannot overlook. All I have wanted was to remain in my realm undisturbed, and now I cannot return home."_

"But I'm telling you that I never..._Ahh!_" Aladdin cried out as the mist tightened in a vice grip around his body. He didn't dare move, as the mist tightened its grip so fast around him that even simple movements could break any of his bones.

_"You dare lie to me? Even now?!"_ It's voice crackled and boomed, the echo sending shudders through Aladdin's body._ "It is clear then that I shall have no remorse for what I am about to do to you."_

"Leave him alone!" Jasmine's voice echoed through the air as she rode Carpet through the mist. Aladdin saw her out of the corner of his eye as she broke through the mist. It seemed like she had the idea of distracting the mist monster, while giving Aladdin a chance to break free. But none of that mattered, since even if Aladdin could break free of the creature's grip, there was nowhere for him to go but down.

"Stop...Don't...come...closer." Aladdin could barely breathe as he felt air rush away from him, a tightness that formed around his throat gradually taking away his words. He saw her fly toward him, but hear the monster's booming voice before the wind kicked in.

"_Do not interfere, mortal._"

Jasmine arrived so close to Aladdin, not even a few feet from reaching out to him from Carpet, before the wind blew so hard it forced Carpet to lose balance yet again, throwing her and the magic rug back down to the city below. Past the clouds, Aladdin could hear her scream as she fell.

Even as he felt the impulse to call out to her, the mist monster's voice flooded through him, like ice water pulsing through his veins. "_From this moment forth, I curse you to an existence of losing yourself and all that you love. Things that seem small will turn to harm you, lies will become truths, and in the end of it all - Aladdin, Prince of Agrabah - you will always live in the castle._"

Aladdin wasn't sure what any of the creature's words meant, but something in him broke in that moment. It flooded him with so much pain that a scream ripped from his throat, his back arching with the blow, before the grip that held him released, sending him plunging to the city below.

* * *

Jasmine wasn't expecting her familiar blue friend to suddenly appear just below the cluster of clouds, catching Carpet in one outstretched hand, and Jasmine in the other.

"All passengers are accounted for in the mix of windy turbulence. Thank you for flying with Genie Express." Genie said with a grin, safely lowering them to the ground.

"_Genie!_ You came back early!" Jasmine said, throwing her arms around him.

He returned her embrace. "Yeah, well, I figured if Iago and Abu rubbed the lamp, it must've been an emergency. I didn't realize how bad it was, though. Where's Al?"

She pointed up to the sky. "Some mist monster caught him and he's trapped. Genie, what's going on?"

"If I had time to explain, I would, but clock's ticking." He held a glowing gray gem in one of his large hands. "I'll try to redirect the wind away from you guys, but you need to take Rug Man and get shelter in Al's old hiding place. Also rescue any lingering merchants that might be trapped from this storm. I think I got most off Agrabah's streets, but I don't know if it was everyone. Abu and Iago are already at the hiding place. They'll be able to fill in the gaps of what's going on." He winced before choosing his next words. "Just know that you're probably not going to like what you hear, but hopefully if we can get Al out of this pickle, there shouldn't be much to worry about."

Jasmine wasn't sure what to make of any of what he said, but she agreed to it with a nod. "Be careful, Genie. I'm counting on you."

She raced away on Carpet through the streets of Agrabah while Genie turned his attention to the sky above. Iago had told him everything, down to point out the lines of the curse that were inscribed in the gem they'd found in the Moonstone Oasis. He knew what he had to do, just recite the lines backwards.

"Semi-phenomenally powered I may be, but I can still send this cursed spirit right back where he came from," Genie said, transforming into a space rocket and shooting upwards through the dark, misty clouds.

But even as he reached the place where Aladdin and the mist monster were, Genie realized he'd been too late to prevent what he feared would happen. He heard Aladdin's scream, saw the prince's back arch in pain from a distance away, before the monster released its grip and left the prince's limp body to fall to the city below.

"_AL!_" Genie cried out in a panic, rushing over to where he saw Aladdin fall and using as much momentum as he could to get ahead of Aladdin and orient enough to catch the unconscious prince. But Genie realized it wasn't that the mist monster was letting the boy fall - he was actively using his wind power to force Aladdin's descent.

_Not enough to curse the kid, but it's trying to kill him too,_ Genie thought. Genie gave himself an extra push, finally getting just below Aladdin's body to catch him just before they crashed into an empty building in the middle of Agrabah's marketplace. They kept falling and hitting obstacles, Genie bracing himself for impact and yelping with each floor they crashed through, until Genie realized they hit the earth in an underground passage.

Genie took a while to recover, groaning. Even with his semi-phenomenal power, crashing through four floors of a building wasn't something that his body could take lightly.

"Oy, that was a doozy," Genie grumbled. "That hurt about as much as I expected it to. The birds didn't even come out for that one." He frowned as he saw one stray cartoon bird chirping at his ear like the wail of an alarm clock prompting him to get up. With a sigh, Genie used his magic to zap it away.

Genie gradually loosened his protective stance over Aladdin, who hadn't moved or stirred even once during the time they fell.

"Kid?" Panic seized Genie. He cleared a space in the debris around them to lay Aladdin's body flat on the ground, giving the prince space to breathe. Aladdin stirred, groaning a little as he looked up at Genie through half closed eyes. "Genie?"

"You okay Al?" Genie asked gently.

"Not...great." Aladdin managed, speaking through clenched teeth as if even getting words out caused him too much pain. "Something's...wrong."

"_Those are the effects of the inflicted curse,_" a voice boomed over them. Genie took a protective stance over where Aladdin lay, facing off against the mist monster who appeared in the area where they'd fallen. _"His body will need time to adjust."_

Genie's brow narrowed. "Cursing an innocent guy like Aladdin just because of a centuries old grudge? I don't pretend to know what happened to you, but I know _he_ didn't _deserve that_." Aladdin was awake enough to be surprised at Genie's serious tone and using his full name. But the situation was that serious.

The monster sneered. _"Innocent? Nothing about what this boy did was innocent. He pursued my gem, he released me without cause. He even LIED to me about his involvement. His punishment is due."_

Genie shook his head. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe you were told the lie before you met or attacked him? Or were you just apt to believe what anyone told you when you came out of the gem that bound you?"

The monster considered that, his echoing howl of recognition showing his anger. _"The bird...the monkey... They LIED to me! They shall have MY VENGENCE!"_

"Nope, you aren't going to have the opportunity to hurt anyone else, not while I'm around." Genie brought out the gem, and as quickly as he could, recited the lines of the curse he'd memorized backward. The monster saw what Genie was trying to do. It tried to race upward in a grand, billowy escape. Genie rushed after him, delivering the last recitation of the cursed line which caused the gem in his hand to glow and shoot out magic that sucked the monster in like a vaccum. Every last cloud, every last haze of the monster disappeared as it howled and writhed in protest. But at the very last moment, it started to laugh, which left Genie with chills running down his spine.

_"My curse still stands!"_ The monster howled before it disappeared. An odd quiet settled in the underground room where Genie and Aladdin were. Genie could see through the area where they fallen to the sky above. The city above was still overcast, but it was much lighter than before, the sun trying to peak through the clouds.

Aladdin still hadn't moved from the place where Genie left him, but Genie heard his voice. "Genie...you did it."

Genie nodded, but his expression was pained. "All in a day's work, but...you're still..." He trailed off, not able to finish his thought.

Aladdin gave Genie a small smile. "No, I'm good. I'm just...sorry we couldn't get your party ready before you came back."

Genie reached out a hand to help Aladdin stand. Aladdin groaned a little, still having trouble standing on his shaky legs, but he managed. Genie put an arm around Aladdin's shoulders. "Come on, kid. Let's get you back to the others. I think we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

"I still don't understand why you guys would _do_ something like that." The words Aladdin spoke weren't aimed with malice towards Iago and Abu, but Abu thought the hurt in Aladdin's voice was worse than him yelling at them. He almost wished it was from a place of anger, rather than fatigue and betrayal. "Not only did you lie about going to the Thieves' Den, but you also were gone all those hours in the Moonstone Oasis. What if something else had happened? What if either one of you'd been killed while getting the gem in the temple? That's aside from everything else that happened today."

It was late in the evening in Agrabah. Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Iago, Abu, and Carpet were all lounging in Aladdin's hiding place, the moon cast over the city's skyline. Though the blood moon still shown, it was a much more peaceful scene than earlier in the day. Clean-up had begun on areas where the winds damaged buildings in Agrabah. The Sultan decided - after getting a report from both Aladdin and Jasmine on the occurrences of the day - to postpone Genie's return party. Aladdin hadn't had any signs of injury - no broken bones, bruises or cuts - following the attack by the mist monster. However, Aladdin appeared physically drained in a way that didn't go unnoticed by anyone around him. Even Razoul, who typically traded smart remarks about Aladdin's lack of royal experience, was more than a little concerned for both Aladdin and Jasmine's well being.

Aladdin wondered if it was just an effect of the intensity of the events or if it really was a part of some curse the monster had placed on him.

Iago begrudgingly thought Aladdin had a point about the more horrible things that could've happened in the scuffle, but wasn't willing to budge too far. "Look, kid, I knew you would make it out in one piece, so why are we even on the hook for this? You're alive, the monster's back in its gem - problem solved."

"Aladdin _almost_ didn't survive," Jasmine pointed out. Even if Aladdin wasn't sharp with his words, Jasmine more than compensated for that with her frustration towards the two. "You don't know what would've happened if Genie hadn't made it back in time."

"And that's another problem - we're operatin' on 'maybes'. It's not as if..."

"If you bring up another incident where Aladdin supposedly did the same thing in one of his adventures, I'm going to stop you there," Jasmine snapped.

Aladdin's brows raised; he whistled lightly as Jasmine and Iago continued to argue. Genie leaned in to whisper in Aladdin's ear. "Man, she's really going in on Iago."

"She's not wrong though, Genie," Aladdin said, running his fingers through his hair. "Still, this whole thing bugs me. Were you able to find out what the mist monster was and if there was anything about a curse?"

Genie frowned. "I'm gonna have to dig a little deeper on that, kid. I don't see anything out of the ordinary, but that doesn't mean it isn't a possibility. How are you feeling?"

"Better than earlier. There were things that the monster told and showed me that were important just before I passed out, but..." Aladdin shook his head, wincing. "No, I can't remember anything."

"Don't force it," Genie said, placing an arm around Aladdin's shoulders. "It'll come back to you eventually."

Even as he spoke the words, Genie realized Aladdin's concerns weren't so easily resolved. Aladdin sighed. "Yeah, I hope it does."


	4. Chapter 4 - Phantoms

**Chapter 4: Phantoms**

Jatika was more than pleased at the vision of events that played out in Mirage's crystal ball. He kicked up his legs excitedly as he sat upon a tree stump in the Moonstone Oasis. "Ooh, this is absolutely delightful. Aladdin's curse will prove extremely useful for my fear gathering magic, especially since it will eventually aid in his and the demise of Argabah at large." He tilted his head to the side, his smile suddenly falling into a frown.

Mirage definitely noticed. "What's with you all of a sudden?"

"I'm a little disappointed in some of these events, I'll admit." Jatika said, folding his arms across his tiny chest. "The Genie continues to be an infernal nusiance. If he hadn't interfered, we could have had more time to see the monster wreck havoc on Agrabah's citizens. True that I didn't want Aladdin to die so quickly, but..."

"Have patience," Mirage said in a cool tone that cut the imp short of speech. "I'm of the same thought that I wanted to see more of what the monster could do, but the best parts of the curse have yet to transpire." Her smile showed off her sharpened teeth in the gleam of the bloody moon, giving her a menacing appearance. "I'm going to personally enjoy watching Aladdin's reaction as he watches everything he loves get utterly destroyed...and he won't be able to do a single thing to stop it. Of course, that's only the appetizer to the main course of this meal."

Jatika laughed. "I like the way you think, my pretty. Very well, I'll begin my part of the plan to set up the fear collectors around Agrabah. I look forward to being entertained."

* * *

"Let me guess...you can't sleep?" Jasmine was dressed in her royal blue pajamas as Aladdin stood on the balcony looking over the cityscape of Agrabah. The blood red moon shone full and large over the city of Agrabah, giving the buildings and palace garden below an odd glow.

Aladdin looked over his shoulder at her as she approached him, giving her a small smile. "Yeah, I guess you caught me on that one, princess."

Jasmine nudged her hip against his as she leaned against the balcony railing next to him. "Any particular reason, or is the moon bothering you? Just thought you should know that you wouldn't be the only one. I think Abu's afraid to look out the window, so I told him he could use one of the guest bedrooms if he wanted a place to sleep without the city view."

Aladdin shook his head. "No, as weird as the moon looks, that's not bothering me. What I'm thinking about does relate to Abu though." Aladdin took a shaky breath. "I was too harsh on him and Iago earlier today, wasn't I?"

It had only been a day since the mist monster attacked Agrabah, and Aladdin's mind over the past day had mostly been on the curse the monster placed on him, the words of which he couldn't remember much. Genie had speed read through most of the books in the royal library, but there had been nothing on the history of the monster or the cursed text it'd been bound by. Iago had gone on a tangent about how it would be easier to know what the monster cursed Aladdin with if Aladdin could remember details about the monster's attack.

Aladdin winced as he remembered the conversation between them.

* * *

Iago snorted as he perched on the back of the chair in the royal library. "Maybe we wouldn't have to do all this research if Al would suddenly fill the hole in his head and give us something to look for. Seriously, the kid doesn't remember anything the monster said, and yet he remembers he was cursed? I would think that sort of thing would be permanently stuck in a person's brain."

Aladdin shook his head. "I'm trying, Iago, but most of it is hazy. I remember being in the sky, I remember it saying that 'lies would become truth' and 'things that seem small will turn to harm you.' I don't remember much after that. I barely even remember talking to Genie just after he saved me."

Genie stopped flipping through the pages of the book he skimmed long enough to stare at Aladdin. "I knew your memory of things was bad, but not that bad, Al."

Iago snapped and pointed a wing at Genie. "See? _SEE?_ If Blue Boy says your memory's busted, then I think the semi-phenomenal opinion takes the majority rule."

Genie narrowed his eyes. "Funny you use my semi-phenomenal nearly cosmic power mention in a place where it has_ nothing_ to do with the situation."

Something in Aladdin broke in that moment, the prince's hands clenched at his sides. "Look, I _wish_ I could remember what happened. We wouldn't _even be_ in this situation and I wouldn't have _almost been killed_ if it wasn't for..." Aladdin stopped short at the expressions on Iago, Abu's and Genie's faces. Genie's and Iago both had dropped jaws while Abu looked a little teary eyed.

"Guys...I didn't mean..." Aladdin stumbled over his words, but Abu had left the room in a hurry. Iago only snorted, but Aladdin could tell that Iago felt guilt over Aladdin's words.

"Figures you'd upset the monkey, I'm gonna do damage control." He flew out of the room.

"_Wait!_ Iago...Abu..." But Aladdin knew his voice couldn't reach them, even as Genie put his hands on Aladdin's shoulders to steady him.

* * *

"I think you might've said too much," Jasmine said as Aladdin finished retelling events from earlier in the day. "But you have every right to be upset. Don't beat yourself up over that, or the fact you can't remember much after everything that happened. It'll come back to you; just give it time. I'm sure the same can be said for Iago and Abu - they just need a little time and space."

"Yeah, I guess." Aladdin said, his voice quiet. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "I'm still going to apologize to them, though."

A yell from inside the palace stunned them both to silence. Jasmine was the first to recover as she looked at Aladdin with wide eyes. "Was that Iago? What in the world...?"

Aladdin nodded. "Come on, sounds like there might be trouble inside."

"_Somebody help me!_" Iago shouted, his call echoing through the palace walls. It was enough to even stir the Sultan awake. The Sultan rubbed at his sleep filled eyes and struggled to focus as Aladdin and Jasmine approached him.

"Oh dear me, what's all the fuss about? Is that Iago?"

He got an answer as the three of them saw Iago fly past them at the end of the hall, feathers trailing behind him. What they weren't expecting was seeing their familiar overgrown tiger friend barrelling after the bird, fangs in full view.

"Why's Rajah chasing after Iago like that?" Aladdin asked, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm seriously wondering what Iago did this time to make him mad. Guess I'd better stop them both before someone _really_ gets hurt." Aladdin was quicker to sprint down the hall to pursue the two than either the Sultan or Jasmine were to realize what he was doing.

"Aladdin, wait a minute!" Jasmine ran after him, but stopped short when she realized she might need back-up to help resolve the situation. She ran in the opposite direction to reach the lamp that held Genie, who was likely sleeping through this entire commotion.

Aladdin ran through the twists and turns of the palace. Abu happened to come out of his own sleeping place at the moment when Iago flew past him in a flurry. Abu wasn't sure what was happening until he saw Rajah barreling toward him.

"Stop! Stop!" Abu screeched, but Rajah used the underside of his paw to swat Abu away as easily as a fly. Abu hit the side of the palace wall hard, enough to see stars. Aladdin arrived in just enough time to witness it all.

"Abu! You okay?" Aladdin ran to Abu's side as the monkey shook his head, trying to recover.

"Okay, okay." Abu said, though he still remained slumped against the wall.

Aladdin sighed, an apology on the tip of his tongue but he wrestled with the idea of giving it then. He decided against it since he didn't have enough time. "I'm going after them, you mind finding Genie? I think we might need his help for this one."

Abu gave a salute and short screech, not seeming bothered by the task.

Aladdin smiled. "Thanks pal." He took to his feet and chased after the fleeing tiger and parrot.

"Don't let him eat me!" Iago shouted. Rajah was quickly closing the distance between himself and the parrot.

"Rajah, _stop it!_ What's gotten into you?" Aladdin called. He made his first attempt to intervene in the tiger's path, but Rajah almost struck out at Aladdin with his claws. Aladdin had to dodge out of the way to keep the tiger from attacking him. For a brief moment, Aladdin saw something flash in Rajah's eyes. A cloudy gray that filled the tiger's usually bright eyes.

_Something's wrong... _Aladdin thought. _It's like he's in a trance and doesn't recognize anything. I know Iago and him don't have the best relationship, but this isn't like him_.

Aladdin recovered quickly. Iago turned a corner too swiftly and collided with a statue, which knocked him to the floor and made the statue break into several shards. Rajah didn't recognize that he was stepping on sharp pieces of the broken statue, which dug their way into the underside of his paws. No pain registered for the tiger as he slowly moved forward, his teeth bared.

"What the heck?!" Iago took in the sight of Rajah's menacing form approaching, but didn't hesitate to fly again, though in sputtered bursts. Rajah prepared to pounce.

"_Rajah, NO_!" Aladdin took that last second to leap in the path between Rajah and Iago. The tiger's full weight became entangled with Aladdin's own body. The two of them hit the ground hard. Rajah slid one way, while Aladdin skidded across the floor and hit a pedestal, which held a teetering vase.

"Al, look out!" Iago saw the moment, but his words were too late when the vase tipped and crashed, breaking just over Aladdin's head. Aladdin's head swam with pain; then he saw nothing.

Rajah broke free of whatever rush of anger that filled him, as the tiger's head had hit the side of the palace hallway wall very hard, enough to leave a sizable dent and a series of jagged cracks. He was still somewhat conscious, his hazy vision turned clear as he saw Aladdin lying motionless a fair distance away from him. The tiger couldn't remember much of what happened, but he had a feeling that Aladdin's condition was somehow his fault. It filled Rajah with dread, a low purr rumbling in the back of his throat. But as soon as Rajah went to take a step forward, he roared, pain shot up the bottom of his front paws.

Genie, Jasmine, Abu, Carpet, and the Sultan appeared from around the corner, taking in the chaotic, messy scene before them. Rajah, filled with guilt and hurt, hobbled out of the hallway.

Genie's eye caught Rajah walking away, but noticed something alarming that took everyone by surprise. "Geez, Rajah must have hurt himself pretty badly - look at the paw prints."

Jasmine gasped. She noticed the bloody trail of paw prints as well. But the groan she hear from a distance away caught her attention, made her rush to Aladdin's side. "_Aladdin!_ What happened? Are you okay?"

Aladdin slowly raised himself on his elbows, wincing as he sat up, back against the wall where the shards of the broken vase that fell on his head weren't scattered. "I'll...be fine. Is Rajah okay?"

"It looks like he hurt himself badly." She met Aladdin's eyes as she pushed away a section of his hair to see a trail of blood and a sizable wound just over Aladdin's left brow. "And so did you. Come on, let's get you patched up. Genie, can you take care of Rajah?"

Genie gave a small salute. "I think the only one of us here who can deal with an injured tiger - and not get their head bitten off - might be me. And at least I can regrow a head or two if I need it." He looked at Aladdin with concern. "Al, you might want to focus on keeping the head you have intact."

Aladdin groaned. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Jasmine bandaged Aladdin's head in about as much time as Genie managed to bandage both of Rajah's front paws in Jasmine's room. Aladdin lay on Jasmine's day bed as she made the final wrap of the bandage just under his hair line. Genie realized that it wasn't so much difficult to bandage Rajah's paws as it was to get the tiger talking about what caused him to go after Iago.

Aladdin figured he'd try the secondary opinion from Iago, who perched not far away from Aladdin on Jasmine's dresser. "So are you going to tell us what you did to make Rajah mad, Iago?"

"_ME? _ Why are you blaming me for all this? For your information, the overgrown furball came after me!"

"That's no way to talk about Rajah," Jasmine protested. "And Aladdin has good reason to think you did something - you're not exactly innocent in antagonizing him from time to time."

Iago grinned with a sheepish expression, realizing Jasmine wasn't

off the mark. "Well, there might've been a few times I took the fruit from Rajah's bowl...but this was not one of them!"

Abu started speaking frantically in a way that caught Aladdin's attention. "Abu, you saw the whole thing? When did it start?"

Abu explained in a series of screeches and gestures that Iago was eating in the royal kitchen when Rajah started acting like he saw something that spooked him. Rajah had tossed his head from side to side, his paws swatting something like a fly. Then the tiger's eyes centered on Iago and he charged without warning.

"See, see! The monkey knows what he's talking about."

Rajah only responded by wrestling out of Genie's grip and fleeing the room.

"Rajah! Come back!" Jasmine called. She started to stand, but she looked reluctant to leave Aladdin.

Aladdin nodded to Jasmine, his expression full of concern. "Go, he needs you."

"Okay. But don't overdo yourself, Aladdin. I mean it. I want you to recover too." She planted a soft kiss against his lips before leaving the room.

"Al, what's bugging you?" Genie asked as he watched Jasmine leave down the hall, standing at the door to her room. "Maybe Jasmine didn't notice, but I think you're being just as secretive as Rajah."

Aladdin looked away from Genie, his nerves on end. He didn't want to worry his friends, but the nagging feeling at his gut wouldn't let up, not with everything that happened that night.

Abu crawled up one of Aladdin's arm, curling his tail loosely over Aladdin's neck. "Aladdin."

Aladdin's brow furrowed, several thoughts moving through his mind at once. He folded his arms across his chest. "I'm trying to make sense of all this. Rajah seemed like he was in a trance earlier. That's why he didn't care that he stepped through the shards of that broken statue he knocked over."

"Seems like such a small thing considering. Maybe Rajah didn't feel anything until after the adrenaline ran down," Genie said.

"Maybe, but..." Aladdin trailed off, still trying to sort through everything he witnessed. He kept thinking he was missing something important. At that moment, it hit him, and his eyes went wide with horror.

"Kid?" Genie raised a brow before transforming into a lightbulb. "Okay, I know some idea just popped into your head, but instead of the light turning on, it looked like it just exploded."

"Genie..." Aladdin met his friend's eyes with concern. "Think about what you just said. 'Small thing.'"

Genie thought about it, transforming back to his usual form, before it hit him. "You don't mean you think it's part of the curse?"

Aladdin's expression hardened. "Normally I don't buy that kind of explanation, but it's a little too convenient, don't you think?"

"You wouldn't be wrong to think it, but...it's kind of a stretch considering we don't know what caused Rajah's reaction."

"Maybe...forget it." Aladdin dismissed the thought as quickly as he meant to speak it. "We should sleep on it and try to figure it out in the morning. Maybe we might learn more from Rajah if he's willing."

Genie's shoulders relaxed. "Yeah, I think there's beeen a little too much excitement for one evening. It's mind-bending." As if responding to his own comment, Genie saw the edges of his hair grow out into a large cluster of bended shapes, spiralling around his head like the branches of a twisted tree. "Okay, maybe not quite like that, but you get what I mean."

As Genie left the room, Aladdin leaned his head back, his gaze turned towards the ceiling of Jasmine's room. Abu, who remained on Aladdin shoulder, screeched softly with concern. Carpet seemed equally concerned, waving his knobs in front of Aladdin's eyes. Aladdin gently pushed Carpet away.

"I'm good, guys. I'm...I don't know," Aladdin sighed, closing his eyes. "I have a bad feeling about all this, and I'm thinking it'll just get worse from here. It's like a phantom that won't go away. Like the moment you close your eyes but you still see the thing that's haunting you."

"Aladdin." Abu said in a low voice.

Aladdin's own voice was quiet, slightly unsteady. "I hope I'm wrong. I _really_ hope I'm wrong."


	5. Chapter 5 - Unsettled

_Chapter 5: Unsettled_

"Better to leave Rajah alone for today," Jasmine said the next morning as she left the throne room. "He had a hard time getting to sleep, which wasn't until close to dawn." Jasmine yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "I think I need to sleep in a little longer for the time being too. I might've stayed up a bit too long keeping him company."

"You did great, Jasmine." Aladdin said. "Did Rajah give any hint for what happened to him?"

Jasmine shook her head. "No, but _something_ frightened him. I hope Rajah feels well enough later to give us a clue."

Genie frowned. "Man, I really feel bad for the big cat. Maybe we should go to the Marketplace and buy him a ginormous chew toy."

Jasmine smiled. "I'm sure he'll appreciate anything you give him, Genie."

Aladdin nodded. "Guess that means we should take a trip to the Marketplace. What do you guys think?" He turned to Carpet and Abu, who nodded vigorously.

"Eh, count me out. I need to sleep in a little longer," Iago said.

* * *

Genie, Abu, Aladdin and Carpet headed out to the marketplace just a little before dusk, when the Marketplace was at its busiest. Genie had to stealthily squeeze through crowds in order to avoid bumping into people.

"It's a little crowded in these parts today. What is it, Merchant Day or something?" Genie asked.

"Something like that, I forgot about it honestly," Aladdin said, avoiding running into a few street urchins making their way home. He knew all too well what that life was like once, and he wasn't about to fall for their tricks on a day like this. "It's when all the merchants stay past the usual Marketplace hours and give discounts on their wares. The Sultan thought it would be a good idea to have it a few times in the year. The only problem is that you have to watch for pickpockets - both merchants and street thieves."

"I don't think that'll be a problem, Al. It's not as if I have to watch out for them picking my pockets, but what they find in my pockets might be a little...unpleasant."

At that moment, Aladdin heard the scream of a nearby street thief who had a bunch of toy rats (that looked alarmingly real) tumble from his fingers. Aladdin looked at Genie with narrowed eyebrows, but his semi-phenomenal friend only grinned.

"Nice trick, Genie." Aladdin said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Oh come on, my best work was on the eyes! They looked the most real," Genie blinked his own eyes with exaggeration, his overly long eyelashes fluttering before returning to normal.

Aladdin couldn't help but laugh at that, and even Carpet shook his knobs and held his sides in silent laughter. But when Aladdin turned to look for Abu, the monkey was nowhere to be found.

"Abu?" Aladdin's laughter faded quicker than either Genie's or Carpets. They didn't notice Aladdin leaving their company as he backtracked a bit through the crowd. "Abu, where did you go?"

He found his answer not too far away as Abu trembled under the edge of an empty merchant stand. The monkey's fur stood on its tip ends; he was looking away from Aladdin to a far corner of the crowd, from where Aladdin had just trekked.

"What are you doing under there?"

Abu looked at Aladdin, appearing to relax. He frantically screeched and pointed in the direction behind Aladdin.

"You saw something strange in the crowd? How far back? Behind where we were with Genie and Carpet?"

Abu nodded frantically, his screeching softer now that Aladdin appeared to understand.

"It was probably a merchant dressed in a costume. Some of them do that on Merchant Day. There's nothing to be scared of." Aladdin said, shaking his head. "I've seen more than a few scary costumes around this time of year. And even if there was a monster, Abu, I wouldn't let them hurt you. Come on." He held out a hand for Abu to climb onto. "I'll buy you some treats so that we can take them back to the palace with us. How about that?"

"Yummy!" Abu crawled out of the space and scrambled up Aladdin's arm, hugging the prince around his neck.

Aladdin laughed. "See, nothing to worry about." The two then moved through the city on their own, Aladdin making good on his promise to provide banana treats to Abu as they shopped through the city. The two of them eventually reunited with Genie and Carpet, who had a fair haul of items themselves. Carpet looked overtaxed with his load. Genie frowned at the sight of him.

"I think we might've gotten a little carried away, but at least we got Rajah a good selection of toys and things. That should make him happy enough to offset anything that spooked him, don't you think Al?"

Aladdin whistled, impressed. "You guys did great, Genie. I think Jasmine's right - Rajah would appreciate anything you gave him. Abu and I got a few things, but mostly we were browsing through." Aladdin turned his gaze to the darkening sky - which looked like a sea of blood on the horizon. He knew it was because of the long cycle of the red moon in the evenings, but the sight still unsettled him. Abu seemed equally uneasy, restlessly shifting his paws while perched on Aladdin's shoulder.

"You okay kid?" Genie asked. "You guys disappeared pretty suddenly earlier."

Aladdin dismissed Genie's comment with a wave of his hand. "Nothing to worry about, just a misunderstanding. Right, Abu? Abu?" Aladdin was caught off guard by Abu's entire body suddenly stiffening, eyes wide and jaw dropped. Abu pointed behind Genie at something at a fair distance away.

Before Genie could respond, Abu gave a loud, panicked screech, before leaping from Aladdin's shoulder and scurrying off so fast that it took Genie, Carpet, and Aladdin a minute to react. Aladdin was faster. "Abu! Wait a minute! Come back!"

"That didn't seem minor at all," Genie said with sarcasm. He looked over his shoulder and scanned the alleyway. There wasn't anything that Genie or Aladdin could see in the immediate distance, but that didn't mean they hadn't been followed.

"That's the second time that happened..." Aladdin said, trailing off before shaking his head. "No time, I'm gonna go after Abu. You think you can look around town to see if anything is odd, Genie? Abu definitely saw something that spooked him."

Genie gave Aladdin a quick salute. "I'm on it. Rug Man...uh, you might wanna unload your cargo and then come back to join us on Operation Find Monkeyboy."

Carpet shook his knobs in protest, but given the weight of his cargo, he couldn't refuse. He flew off in the distance towards the direction of the Palace.

"Thanks. I'll meet up with you later after I find Abu," Aladdin said, before taking off in the same direction Abu had fled.

* * *

"Oooh, this is getting so good!" Jatika said, tapping his heels together as he and Mirage watched the scene unfold between Abu, Aladdin, Genie, and Carpet in the middle of the Marketplace. "The monkey's fear is off the charts! I wonder what illusion is pursuing him as we speak."

Mirage rolled her eyes. "The curse will reveal itself when and as it chooses to. Patience, my fellow wicked creature. And regardless, Abu's fear is only a temporary salve to power. Aladdin's on the other hand," she smiled at the mention of her enemy, eyes flashing with glee. "Oh, I will savor every morsel of fear and pain that beats through him. He doesn't even realize his connection to each of these events yet. But he will soon. Oh, he certainly will."

* * *

Aladdin knew Abu hadn't left the city of Agrabah, but as the sky turned to night and the moon shone high, his friend was nowhere in sight. Aladdin steadied himself against an alley wall, his heart feeling heavy in his chest.

"Abu, you're starting to scare me with how long you've been gone. Where did you go?" He said aloud, his voice ragged from exertion in his search. Aladdin ventured through the city streets, on rooftops, even trekked back to his usual hiding place to see if Abu had sought refuge there. But it was like Abu had vanished into thin air - the monkey was nowhere to be found.

Aladdin had met up twice with Genie and Carpet since Abu's disappearance. Genie had shrugged his shoulders following his own search.

"Kid, I looked everywhere in and on the outskirts of the city - there was nothing there. No unruly merchants, no monsters, nothing out of the ordinary. But whatever spooked Abu _really_ made him want to hide."

Aladdin's shoulders slumped then, the prince giving a heavy sigh. "That's just the thing - I told Abu I wouldn't let anything happen to him even if he came across any monsters. How is it that we haven't found anything that caused Abu to run away?"

Genie placed both of his hands on Aladdin's shoulders. "Don't worry kid, we'll find him. I let Jasmine and the Sultan know we were still looking for him. They haven't seen him in the palace either, so he's gotta still be in the city somewhere."

Aladdin kept this in the forefront of his mind, not afraid to look under previously used merchant stands, crates, and various pots that lined the now mostly vacant streets of Agrabah. Merchant Day had come and gone, and it was easier to search with a cloudless sky, as ominious as the red moon was.

He found his search returning to a few abandoned buildings in one part of town, close to the entrance of the east entrance of the city. A while ago, Jatika had unleashed a monster that damaged a part of the city. Several of the merchants and citizens had moved out of the area because it was too dangerous to move back - plus they'd found more comfortable living towards the center of the city.

"I wonder if Abu made his way here. It's too dangerous considering the foundations of these buildings aren't good. They still need to be rebuilt. But if Abu ran here in a panic, he probably wasn't thinking about how dangerous it'd be." That gave greater urgency in Aladdin's search.

Aladdin searched the first two buildings he came across, calling out to Abu when and where he could. He was fortunate that they weren't very hard to search, though he saw sections of where the floor had collapsed in the building. He gingerly made his way around them, also taking care to make sure Abu hadn't fallen into one of the crevices.

Five other buildings later, Aladdin still hadn't found any sign of the monkey and had dodged some crumbling walls in the process. He was tired and shaken, but he wasn't going to give up. It was the sixth building, a small two story abandoned home where Aladdin's luck turned better for fortune. He'd just entered the first floor of the building, just after forcing the wooden door open. A plume of dust and sand sent the prince into a coughing fit. It was hard to see inside, but Aladdin was thankful there were open windows to let the moonlight in.

Aladdin steadied himself against a nearby wall after he recovered from coughing. His head swam with a throbbing pain, left over from the injury he'd had just the day before. For a moment, he thought he only imagined the low screeching that seemed to come from above him. But as his mind cleared, he heard it again - faint but definitely there.

"Abu?" Aladdin called out two more times, but the low screeching didn't respond to him, seemed more of a wimper than anything else. Aladdin followed the sound, reaching the second level of the building. He looked around the room, and a crack in the floor on the far side of the room away from the stairs caught his attention. He gingerly made his way through the room, not sure how stable the floor was under his weight. He realized the source of the sound through a glance through a crack in the wedges.

"Abu! Hang on, I'm coming!" Aladdin saw Abu curled up into a ball, stuck between heavy floorboards and a part of the ceiling that had collapsed to pin the monkey in. Aladdin couldn't reach Abu with just his bare hands, the gap between the boards was too small for him to grab any part of the monkey safely.

"This would be easier if I had Genie or Carpet with me," Aladdin said, but he looked around and felt the wheels in his head turn into a plan. He grabbed a broken piece of floorboard, using it as a piece to pry up the floorboard Abu was trapped under. It took a few good tries, but Aladdin was able to pull part of it enough to grab Abu quickly.

At first the monkey was trembling so hard that Aladdin struggled to hold him. Then Abu appeared aware that someone (or something) was holding him, which made the monkey screech with alarm and try to flee.

"Abu, it's me! It's just me." Aladdin struggled to hold Abu up enough for the monkey to meet his gaze. When Abu saw Aladdin, the monkey started weeping.

That wasn't something Aladdin expected. "What happened to you? You had us all worried, running off the way you did." Aladdin's voice was gentle, but that made Abu all the more distressed. Abu started sobbing harder, his body shaking from the exertion.

Aladdin cradled Abu against his chest. "Come on. Let's go home."

Before Aladdin left the building, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned suddenly, his eyes scanning the room a few times until he convinced himself that nothing was there.

Yet he definitely felt that something was watching them.

* * *

"First it was the furball, and now it's the monkey - I'm sensing a pattern here," Iago said, his tone an even mix of annoyed and unsettled as Aladdin paced back and forth in the palace library. Jasmine looked equally unsettled, though she remained seated at the table in the middle of the room, scanning through several books.

Genie frowned, hovering just over Jasmine's shoulder. "Uh, Iago, haven't you used the term 'furball' interchangeably between Abu and Rajah before? I guess since you said monkey it was easier to tell, but still..."

Iago dismissed Genie with a wave of his wing. "Same difference! They're both balls of fur, but if you're asking about the bigger furball, it's Rajah."

"Stay focused you two - we need to think about how to help them. I'm not finding anything about the curse in any of the books here, unfortunately. And it doesn't say anything about how to cure fear paralysis - at least not the level which Abu and Rajah have," Jasmine said.

"It doesn't make sense," Aladdin said, stopping his pacing momentarily to look at Jasmine. "We couldn't find anything that was chasing Abu. He was definitely spooked, but we don't know what or who it was. We didn't, no, _couldn't_ see it."

Genie thought a moment. "I didn't sense any odd magic around us in the time that we were in the Marketplace. Even when you guys came out of the damaged district, I didn't sense anything there other than just the general creepiness of those empty and damaged buildings. Then again, that might be a limitation of my semi-phenomenal power."

Aladdin threw up his hands. "So in other words, we're at a dead end! I wonder how many more times this has to happen before we understand what's going on."

Carpet started shivering down to his threads. Iago took notice. "My thoughts are with the rug, I don't think it's safe for those of us who aren't human."

Aladdin raised a brow. "What makes you think we're immune to it, Iago?"

"I'm just relying on statistical probability here. Abu and Rajah are animals. Therefore, the next likelihood in this scenario falls on those of us who AREN'T human."

"He's got a good point," Genie said with a frown. He pointed between himself and Carpet in a quick motion. "I'm not sure how that translates to us magic folk, but it doesn't mean good things for the only other non-human in the room right now."

Aladdin shook his head. "Still, I don't want to take any chances. I think we should search the city to see if the thing that was chasing Abu is still out there." Aladdin stopped short of mentioning how he thought he was being watched around the time he helped Abu, but he couldn't help how unsettled the pit of his stomach felt at the memory.

Jasmine's eyes widened. "But you've been searching most of the evening. That's too many hours on all of you."

Aladdin held up one of his fingers. "One more time. I don't want to chance someone else getting hurt by whatever's out there. Also..." He paused, looking out the window to the skyline of Agrabah, under the light of the red moon. "I have a feeling something else might happen tonight."

"Oh great, hero's intuition. Can you_ can it _with the weird premonitions, Al?" Iago said, flying over to perch on Aladdin's shoulder. "This kinda thing always gives me the creeps!"

"Iago, it's not like I'm investigating because I want to - I _HAVE_ to. I wanna help Rajah and Abu anyway that I can." Aladdin narrowed his eyes, his gaze returning to the moon. He took a steady breath. "If it means we're closer to finding out what's wrong with them, so be it."

Genie rose from his seat. "Uh, Al - I'm gonna be the mouse in the room...no, wait - I'm pretty sure that's a different phrase than what I'm going for." He transformed himself into a miniature toy elephant that appeared in Aladdin's open palms. "Basically what I'm trying to say is I don't agree with your plan."

"Wait, what? Genie..." Aladdin began to protest, but Genie transformed back to normal size to put a finger to Aladdin's lips.

"Hear me out, kid. It's been a long day for all of us, especially you guys. Leave the last search to me. I think you and everyone else here need the rest of the night to recover. And don't think I haven't noticed you still reeling from that head injury."

"I agree," Jasmine said. "I think all of us could use the break and get back to business in the morning. Genie, I trust you'll keep a watch over the city tonight."

Genie gave a short salute, transforming into a soldier with elaborate decorations on his waistcoat. "Leave it to me, your highness."

Aladdin nodded, but even with the short consent, he wasn't giving up that easily. Not by a long shot.


	6. Chapter 6 - Nightmare in Toyland

_Chapter 6: Nightmare in Toyland_

Aladdin knew he wasn't going to sleep at all that night. Even as Abu curled up against his pillow and Jasmine slept not too far away, he couldn't shake the presence of whatever had been in the same building when he found Abu. He wondered if it had been the thing that spooked and chased the monkey through the city, leading to Abu's disappearance for several hours. It had been a task to get Abu to finally get to a restful state of sleep, so Aladdin knew he didn't want to wake the monkey at any point.

That's why he was especially careful to sneak out of his room (and the palace). Being a street thief for several years had that advantage. Carpet, who hadn't been sleeping, stirred when he saw Aladdin venture out towards the palace courtyard.

"I need your help, Carpet. I've got a bad feeling about tonight and I want to search the city one last time. Genie shouldn't be the only one out there making sure things are okay."

Carpet appeared to hesitate a few moments, drifting in mid-air with his knobs swaying side to side. But then he gave Aladdin a brief embrace and waited for the prince to climb aboard. Aladdin gave a light laugh, before they rode upwards into the Agrabah skyline.

Being stealthy through the Agrabah streets with a semi-phenomenal being keeping watch was no easy task, but Aladdin and Carpet managed to dodge a few of Genie's puppet soldiers and Agrabah's usual guards to return to Aladdin's usual hiding place in the city. From there, Aladdin made a plan to canvas the city, especially in the abandoned district where he'd found Abu.

"Something tells me that it chased Abu there for a reason," Aladdin mused aloud. "I think we might be able to find it again if we looked."

It didn't take them long to fly to the building where they'd found Abu, but Aladdin felt more unsettled entering the building than before.

"Maybe it's because I'm not looking for Abu this time, but the thing that was chasing him," he said aloud. Carpet studied him with a questioning look, but Aladdin waived away his concern. "I'm okay, Carpet. I'm just wondering if we're going to find what we're looking for here."

Carpet appeared to shake with nerves, to which Aladdin ran his hands over the surface of the rug. "Let's keep focus - if you see anything, you know the signal."

They searched the building from top to bottom, inching up each creaky staircase, prying open and overturning many dusty floorboards. But Aladdin had his biggest surprise moving aside a large dresser, which revealed a set of stairs that descended underground.

"Well, I'll be. That's something new. " Aladdin said to Carpet with a grin. "I wonder what this was used for. I've seen some passages in Agrabah when I was a kid living on the streets, but this is a little more...elaborate I guess. But..."

Aladdin's grin faded. "Why would whatever was chasing Abu lead him here, unless it wanted Abu to find something?"

Carpet shrugged its knobs.

Aladdin peered down the stairs, but couldn't see much in the darkness. "Let me see if I can find a torch to light our way. You stay here and stand watch, okay?"

Carpet gave a small salute as Aladdin left the building. Carpet did feel a sense of unease, but only because his friend was going away for a brief time. It wasn't as if he expected anything to emerge from the passage in that moment.

At least, until It did.

* * *

Aladdin found the torch materials he was looking for. He was still dodging Genie's watchdogs as well as the palace guards, trekking far enough to pluck a nearby torch to take back with him to the abandoned building.

He wasn't expecting Carpet to fly into the middle of the alleyway. He almost let out a yelp that would've given them away but was able to use his free hand to cover his mouth. Genie's twin guards passed by the area without a second glance.

"Carpet, what are you doing?" Aladdin said, his whisper harsh. "I thought I said that you should..."

Carpet's silent, but wild gestures gave Aladdin a hint of what happened. His anger faded quickly to caution. "You saw something come from the underground? Okay - show me the way. That's probably whatever spooked Abu."

Carpet hesitated, before nodding and allowing Aladdin to board him to ride the way back. When they arrived at the opening, Aladdin stepped from Carpet and started the slow descent into the underground. The stairs were steep, and Aladdin had to watch his footing to keep from stumbling forward. It wasn't that he thought Carpet wouldn't catch him if he fell down the stairs, but he wanted to avoid twisting or breaking his ankles if he slipped the wrong way.

He felt a long relief as his feet finally hit solid earth. "Man, that definitely took a while. No sign of anything here, though. Do you think it went back to the city?"

Carpet shook his knobs, indicating with his flighty mimics that the creature had emerged, then retreated back down into the pathway.

Aladdin nodded. "Guessing it won't come out because of the light. I wonder..." Aladdin found his own words clipped as something caught the corner of his eye in the path ahead. Apparently the rug saw it too, since Carpet flew behind Aladdin in a sudden panic.

"Come on, that definitely means we're on its tail."

Aladdin was energized, following the fleeing shadow that seemed just out of reach of the torch's light. Carpet offered Aladdin a boost up, and the two of them started to fly through the twists of the underground passage. But even as they sped up, the shadow continued to flee just out of reach.

"You're not getting away that easily - you mess with my friends, you mess with me!" Aladdin shouted. "Punch it, Carpet. We're almost on him!"

But almost as suddenly, Carpet abruptly stopped. The movement almost made Aladdin pitch forward from his perch, but his hands gripped the edge of Carpet tight. "Whoa, what's wrong? Why did you stop?"

It wasn't until Aladdin looked straight ahead at the shadow that loomed over them that he understood why. HIs eyes widened in the flickering light of the torch he held. "What is that? It can't be..."

Aladdin's words were cut short by the phrase the shadow muttered, almost in a vacuum that only Aladdin could hear.

_You will always live in the castle..._

Aladdin's head exploded with pain. It wasn't until Aladdin reached up under his brow that he realized his wound around his head had started bleeding again. Was it the exertion...or had the shadow done something to open the wound? Aladdin wasn't sure, but he cried out as another wave of pain hit him. The words echoed louder in his head.

_You will always live in the castle. You will always live in the castle. Youwillalwaysliveinthecastle!_

"C-Carpet..." Aladdin couldn't manage to say more as his knees buckled and the world faded to black as the shadow rushed to attack them both.

* * *

Genie believed that his work was done for the night. He'd patrolled the city for hours upon hours, and he guessed it wouldn't be but another few hours before the sun came up over Agrabah's brilliant skyline. Sure, the sky looked weird with the high crimson moon, but at least it was quiet.

Genie's main body transformed into a general, speaking to several clone Genies who were dressed as soldiers. "Okay soldiers, we can call this mission complete! Dismissed! Don't sleep in, see you back here at 0-700." Each of them saluted in unison before breaking up their order and disappearing in puffs of smoke. But Genie's cheery mood grew less so when a familiar form suddenly swept upward and cast a shadow where the moon should've shone.

"Wait...is that Rug-man?" Genie transformed back into his usual self, taking to flying and chasing after Carpet, who showed no signs of slowing down.

"Yo! Carpet! Wha'cha doin'? Isn't it a little bit past your bedtime?" Genie said with a teasing tone, but from the magic rug's demeanor, Genie realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that something was very wrong. It was as if the rug was running away from something that spooked him.

Something not too far from the same state that Abu and Rajah were currently in. "Oh no, not you too," Genie said, picking up speed as Carpet flew in a flurry back to the palace. It was in the courtyard that Genie transformed himself into a giant bucket, scooping up water from the center fountain until he was completely full. He sloshed and floated around in mid-air as Carpet raced around in a frenzy.

Genie had to make sure the timing was just right as he dumped water all over Carpet. Carpet wasn't expecting this, slamming down to the palace grounds and stunned by the sudden rush of cold that soaked his threads. He appeared to shiver down his body to his knobs.

Genie transformed back to his regular self. "Sorry, Rug-man, but I had to snap you back to your senses somehow. What are you doing out this late?"

Carpet used a moment to squeeze all the water out of his thin form, before flying in a rush and gripping Genie by the shoulders. Genie's eyes widened as Carpet furiously pointed in the direction of the city.

"So you saw something out there, huh?"

Carpet nodded furiously, and started miming in a series of gestures that Genie had to struggle to put together. At least until a literal lightbulb appeared over his head. "Wait...Al was with you?! Where is he?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," said a familiar voice which made Genie and Carpet turn their heads to Jasmine, who looked more than a little worried. "I saw him when I went to sleep, but when I woke up, he was gone. What happened, Carpet?"

When Carpet pointed back out to the city, Genie's shoulders fell. "Oh no...no, no no. Why would he...?" He shook his head. "Come on, let's go find him."

* * *

Aladdin realized in his state of hazy dreaming that he'd - at one point - seen everything. He'd seen the thing that chased and attacked Abu; he'd seen the thing that spooked Rajah, hovering just behind Iago's flying form. He'd seen the shadow that chased after Carpet through the city.

And if the order of his visions were correct, then the next person to be in trouble was...

Aladdin found it hard to focus as his eyes snapped open. He lay on the ground in the middle of the Agrabah marketplace. The torch that he'd once carried held the barest hint of light, close to being completely snuffed out.

"Carpet, where did you go? Ugh...I have to get back to the palace and warn everyone." He struggled to sit up, struggled to remember how he ended up in the middle of the city.

He remembered Carpet speeding out of the underground passage with the shadow chasing the two of them through the night sky. Aladdin gripped the edge of Carpet as much as he could, but Carpet moved too fast. In the end, Aladdin fell from Carpet into the streets of Agrabah, landing on a few crates to add insult to injury.

Aladdin figured Carpet was under the same spell as Abu and Rajah, which meant he'd have to trek it back to the Palace on his own.

_...Hope I make it in time._

By the time Aladdin reached the front gate of the Palace, he saw that Jasmine, Carpet, and Genie were about to head out on the skyline towards the city.

"Guys, stop!" Aladdin waived his arms, causing the group to notice him. Jasmine practically leapt down into Aladdin's arms hugging him so tight that it made Aladdin more aware of how dizzy he was.

"Aladdin, you scared me! Where were you?"

He shook his head. "No time to explain, we have to..."

A scream for help echoed just within the gate from the Palace - one that was all too familiar to all of them, especially to the Palace Guard.

Aladdin nodded. "We need to hurry. The Sultan's in trouble."

* * *

Jasmine was the first to reach the Sultan's toy room, even before Razoul and the other guards followed at her heels. But even as she tried to frantically push the doors open, she saw that there was no getting inside.

"The doors are stuck on this side," she said. "I think something might be blocking us from getting in."

Razoul unsheathed his sword. "If we can't get to the Sultan by normal means, we'll go in by force!"

Aladdin groaned, but realized he couldn't argue with their plan since Razoul wasn't taking any other options. "While you guys find a way through there - Genie and the rest of us will head in through the window to help the Sultan. We'll meet inside."

Without waiting for Razoul's response, Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie soared through the air on Carpet, entering the throne room through one of the only windows. None of them knew what to expect other than Aladdin, who wasn't prepared for the sight before them as his eyes widened in horror.

There wouldn't have been any way for Razoul or any of the guards to enter the toy room with brute force - there were thousands of toys forcefully barricading the doors. The room itself was full of toys armed with weapons with one single target - a trembling Sultan who only found refuge behind a cluster of overturned bookshelves.

"Help me! Help me, please!" The Sultan cried, even as several tiny swords pierced the wood of the shelves. The toys even tried climbing on top of each other to vault over the bookshelves to get to the Sultan. It seemed that plan was a recent development and they were quickly closing in. The Sultan didn't have much time.

"Genie!" Aladdin said. "Probably better for you to deal with the toys. Jasmine and I can get the Sultan."

"Already one step ahead of you kid! This is definitely not like what playtime was like at my school. Yikes." Genie used his magic to create two very gigantic baby Genies that eagerly eyed all the toys around them. They used their gigantic arms to either grab, punch or sweep away masses of toys away from the door and the Sultan's hiding place. Many of the toys ran away in a panic, while others launched their weapons at the new threat, only for the toy bullets and swords bounce off the skin of the giant baby Genies with no threat.

Aladdin was the first to reach the Sultan as he leapt down from Carpet ahead of where Carpet and Jasmine landed. "Sultan, are you okay?"

"Oh my dear boy, I was so frightened. I didn't think anyone would come - I called so many times. All of a sudden the room grew dark as the clouds moved over the moon, and my toys...trinkets...everything that was once lifeless was brought to life! At first I was overjoyed, but they started attacking me. They blocked the doors and overturned these shelves. I had no choice but to scramble over them...it was awful."

"Oh Father, I'm so sorry," Jasmine gave a brief embrace to the Sultan in comfort. "I can't imagine..." Jasmine trailed off as something caught the corner of her eye, which caused her to scream. Aladdin saw the toy arrow fly, headed straight towards the Sultan. While the arrow was tiny, had the weapon made its mark, it would have punctured the Sultan's left eye with enough impact to possibly blind him. Aladdin swatted it away like a fly, but found that the sharpest edge still grazed the skin of his palm, drawing blood. He winced.

"Aladdin, are you all right?" The Sultan asked.

Aladdin nodded. "Just a pin prick. Nothing to worry about. But if we stay around here with too many more of those arrows, they'll be trouble. Let's get you out of here, Sultan."

The three of them boarded Carpet quickly, but not quickly enough for many of the toys to figure their plan. Even with the two giant baby Genies holding off many of the toys' attention, a small crowd of them started aiming their arrows at Carpet, who tried to fly upwards. Aladdin wasn't worried at first, considering the arrows didn't even puncture Carpet from his underbelly.

However, Jasmine's eyes widened with horror as she realized what they planned to do. The toy soldiers were readying arrows dipped in liquid and lit with flames. "Aladdin, we have to go - now!"

"Punch it, Carpet!" Aladdin shouted.

Too little, too late. Even as Carpet sped towards the open window, the hundreds of arrows shot out, and enough of them made their mark to catch Carpet's edges on fire, sending the magic rug into a tailspin. Aladdin, Jasmine, and Sultan screamed as they crashed back to the floor of the room, landing hard against the shiny floor.

Aladdin groaned, being the first to rise after the hard landing. He saw a group of the toys ready their weapons, aiming towards the Sultan once more. He grabbed a jeweled dagger from a fallen (and hopelessly broken) statue. Aladdin knew that throwing the dagger directly towards a few of the soldiers would only stop one or two of them at most. But aiming the dagger above their heads...

The harmful toys didn't realize Aladdin's plan until after the dagger flew, too late to register alarm. A large piece of curtain fell as the dagger slashed through a rope holding it. It easily covered more than a few scores of toys.

"Nice one, Al!" Genie said.

"No time to celebrate if there's still more of them coming," Aladdin said, scrambling back to reach the Sultan and Jasmine, who had taken refuge behind the fallen bookshelves again. "Genie, we need to get those doors open to the hall."

"Working on it, kid. These guys are easy to crush, but they keep popping up like rabbits for some reason. Talk about pest control." Genie transformed into a firefighter, and hit against his overly large fire hose when no water came from it. He realized that one of his overly large baby forms was sitting on the hose. When the clone stood, Genie watched in horror as the pressure filled hose exploded out of control, spraying water in every direction.

The toy soldiers looked on in horror as several of them were blasted in several directions by the pressure of the water. Unfortunately, while this was effective against the enemy and put out the flames burning on Carpet's surface, it drenched Aladdin, Jasmine and the Sultan with water as well.

"Genie, you're aiming the wrong way!" Jasmine shouted.

"Sorry, princess!" Genie did the best he could to aim the hose where he'd intended - the front door to the toy room. Not only did it blast the harmful toys away, it blew the doors wide open. The palace guards had to scramble to get out of the way of the rushing water and flying toys.

But Aladdin noticed that as the door opened, all the toys were suddenly rendered lifeless. No longer harmful, no longer a threat to anyone in the room. It took a moment for him to get his breath, his clothes dripping with water. "I think we're okay now."

"Oh my word, that ended...rather quickly. What happened?" The Sultan said as he squeezed water out of the cape of his tunic.

"I know not what happened in this forsaken exchange," Razoul said, squeezing water out of his turban. "But I would venture a guess that whatever evil lurked here left as soon as we entered."

Genie gave Razoul a side-eye glance, but nodded to Aladdin as the prince met his gaze. "Razoul's only partially right. This room was under a curse, and as soon as we got those doors open, that curse went out with the wind it came in on. But Al, you were the only one of us who knew how to stop it from happening. How?"

"Had a hunch, more like a vision of what was going on." Aladdin said, pushing his wet hair away from his face. "I...I was only thinking about how to help the Sultan."

"Aladdin also knew that Father was in trouble well before any of us did," Jasmine said, before turning to Aladdin. "You were trying to tell us something before we came in."

"It had to do with what Carpet and I saw this evening. We ran into..." Aladdin felt a searing pain hit his head, alongside the familiar words that had echoed through his mind most of the evening.

_You will always live in the castle. You and all that you love..._

Aladdin didn't realize he'd fallen to his knees until Jasmine, Genie and the Sultan were quickly at his side. Carpet reacted quicker than any of them, slipping just under Aladdin's knees and preparing to catch him if he'd fallen further, but Aladdin only knelt, one hand pressed to the side of his head. He struggled to breathe, his other palm pressed against the smooth surface of the floor.

"I think Al might need to take a breather for the night, Jas. Not with how bad that knock to his noggin was."

Aladdin shook his head. "Genie, I'm okay. I...it's been a long day."

"That's something that I believe we all can agree with," the Sultan said, a sad tone to his voice. He looked between Jasmine, Genie, the guardsmen, and Aladdin. "I believe it's best that we all recover the remainder of the night, and however long it may take for Aladdin to recuperate. Then, we will need to hear his story. I've a feeling if we do not, our kingdom may very well be in the path of ruin."


	7. Chapter 7 - Under the Bloody Moon

_Chapter 7: Under the Bloody Moon_

Jatika cursed under his breath at the sight before him. "Oooh, I would have loved to see the Sultan get skewered by his own toys. We were so close! I wonder how Aladdin would have fared if the Sultan were murdered by his own trinkets."

Mirage shrugged her shoulders casually. "It would have been interesting to see them all wrestle with that future, but the fear we've collected from Aladdin just from that scrummage was worth the failed attempt. We'll be meeting with them _very_ soon, I think." She began to laugh with a screeching intensity that made Jatika wince briefly and cover his ears. Mirage never noticed.

Aladdin woke with a start, only to realize that the moving presence of fur aside his head was a much recovered Abu, who screeched with concern. The monkey had been curled up on Aladdin's pillow, likely for a long while based on the way the pillow dented in from his form.

"Abu, you're okay!" Abu was more than happy for Aladdin hugging him to his chest. "I was thinking you'd never come out of that trance. I wonder if Rajah's recovered too."

"Unfortunately, I don't think Rajah's going to come out of it anytime soon, Aladdin." Aladdin heard Jasmine's voice before he saw her come through the door of the room. "Abu woke up this morning as good as new, though. He was still a little shaken, but at least he wasn't paralyzed. He came in a little while ago when he heard what happened yesterday. He was worried about you."

Abu nodded, screeching softly as he moved to Aladdin's shoulder.

"Sorry I worried you, pal." Aladdin said, stroked the fur on Abu's back. Aladdin turned to Jasmine. "Sorry for worrying you too, princess. Guess most of the day's gone already. Didn't mean to sleep in that long."

Jasmine smiled a little. "Iago's still napping for what it's worth." Her smile faded with her next question. "How's your head?"

Aladdin ran his hand over the bandage just under his hairline. "Better than before. Not exactly happy about everything that's happened since we ran into the cursed spirit though." Aladdin explained to Jasmine what he'd experienced in the city with Carpet, and what they'd ran into in the abandoned district of Agrabah.

"It was strange," he recalled. "We ran into this weird, smoke like spirit that was like the form in the gem and he said the same thing over and over again. I think that put Carpet in a trance, because shortly after that, he fled so fast I couldn't hold onto him long enough."

"That's when you remembered the dream?" Jasmine asked, her brows furrowed.

"It felt like a waking dream, yeah. I saw everything, even the attack on the Sultan which hadn't even happened yet. It didn't end there, either." Aladdin ran his hand through his hair. "Jasmine, if what I saw is true, this thing isn't going to stop coming after us. I wonder if Genie might know something about how to stop it."

At the very moment Aladdin mentioned Genie, the semi-phenomenal appeared between Jasmine and Aladdin - startling them both. Genie laughed nervously.

"What can I say, I hear my name mentioned and my ears start burning...or is that buzzing? I can't remember which. Anyway kids, we need to have a group meeting to discuss a few things. Specifically, that cursed gem spirit. I finally figured out who it was."

* * *

Genie, Iago, Abu, Carpet, Aladdin, Jasmine and the Sultan all met in the Sultan's throne room for an update. Genie told them the story of Cergul and how he was trapped within the gem. When he finished the tale, a long, solemn silence filled the room.

"What a terrible story. No wonder Cergul was so angry when he was released." Jasmine said, her voice melancholic at the note. But her sadness shifted to annoyance when she looked side long at Abu and Iago.

Iago grimaced. "How were we supposed to know we were setting free a vengeful monster?"

Aladdin took a long, shaky breath. "He definitely had a bad deal, but placing curses on others based on vengeance doesn't necessarily make me feel sorry for him, especially if it's anything like the situation we're in. Now that we know the monster's Cergul, how do we break the curse?"

Genie nodded, transforming into a professor with overly large glasses. "From my research, the cursed party needs to return the gem where they found it before the magic window lapses. If Cergul had cursed both Iago and Abu, they would be the ones to return the gem. However, Cergul cast the curse on Aladdin by mere whim and false information, so Aladdin must be the one to return the gem to its rightful place."

Jasmine thought a moment. "You mentioned a magic window? How much time do we have, Genie?"

Genie continued with a scholarly assessment of the situation, his voice formal. "Two more nights, at most. The cursed party has to return the gem to its rightful place during the time of day it was originally stolen, thus the only time to travel to the Moonstone Oasis would be during the evening."

"I'm not surprised." Aladdin said. "But I don't see why we can't start out for the Moonstone Oasis during the day. If we only have two more nights, we're losing time waiting around here. And that doesn't give us much time considering..." Aladdin's voice trailed off as he winced.

"What's wrong, Al?" Genie transformed into his usual form and voice, appearing concerned.

"Genie, I hate to ask the obvious, but what happens if we don't return the gem in time?"

"Well, kid, we could _technically_ wait until the next magic window - but that's not for another couple of months. And by then..." Genie grimaced, making a similar realization as Aladdin.

"Everything I saw in my visions would come true, right?" Aladdin finished.

"Yeah." Genie's response was clipped. He looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself.

Iago narrowed his eyes. "Can someone explain to me in short terms what that means? And why you guys sound like you're gonna attend a funeral?"

Aladdin closed his eyes, his voice quiet. His fingers gripped tight around the sides of his arms. "It means that if we don't break the curse in the next two nights, we won't be able to stop any of it. We'll all be dead before the next magic window comes."

Jasmine and the Sultan gasped, while Abu screeched in protest. Carpet waved his knobs in frantic motions, his unease echoed through the room in the silence that followed.

Iago's expression fell from annoyance to fear. "I knew I should've kept my beak shut."

Jasmine met Aladdin's concerned expression. "You've seen all of this, Aladdin? Who...?"

Aladdin shook his head quickly, which stopped her words short. "Doesn't matter who's next at this point. I don't want to wait on it." Aladdin didn't want to tell her who was the next victim on Cergul's cursed visions. He didn't want things to get to that point. _As long we can do it before nightfall, it shouldn't be a problem_, he thought.

The Sultan appeared to agree. "Do what you must, Aladdin. I trust you'll do the right thing to keep everyone safe."

"Sure thing, your highness." Aladdin wished he felt as confident as he sounded.

* * *

"Easy for the Sultan to put all his trust in Al on all this!" Iago complained as Genie, Abu, Jasmine and Aladdin rode on Carpet alongside him. "But Al's right about one thing. Better we go to the Oasis now, since we won't run into Jatika." The group planned to head to their destination in the late afternoon. The sun wouldn't set for at least a few hours. They weren't too far from the outskirts of the city.

Aladdin rolled his eyes at Iago's claim. "Jatika will show up whether it's day or night if he really wants to. He prefers to come out at night. We'd better hope he's not anywhere near where we need to go. I'm surprised you and Abu didn't run into him while you were getting the gem in the first place."

Jasmine shook her head. "Something doesn't sit right to me. I wonder if Jatika had anything to do with that gem being accessible in the first place. Maybe he wanted Iago and Abu to find it."

Genie whistled. "Princess, that might be a biggggg clue of what we need to look for. But we'd better wait until after the curse gets lifted off Al and the rest of us first."

"Yeah, we definitely don't want to..._Ahhh_!" Aladdin yelped as his body felt an invisible blow that wracked his entire body with pain. The force knocked him fully off Carpet, sending him tumbling to the city grounds, just inside the palace walls.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine cried.

"I've got him!" Genie said, appearing just under Aladdin as a mattress to catch him before he hit the ground. "That was a close call."

"Ugh, what happened Genie? Something just hit me out of nowhere."

Genie looked around. "I felt the magic at the moment you were hit, but now it's gone again. Weird." Genie frowned. "You kids hang tight, I'm gonna search outside the city."

Before Jasmine or Aladdin could stop him, Genie disappeared in a puff of smoky magic that vaulted over the wall surrounding Agrabah.

Jasmine sighed. "Hopefully he catches whatever that was. Are you okay, Aladdin?"

Abu scurried up Aladdin's arm to perch on his shoulder, screeching softly as Aladdin used his hand to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah - just felt like I got the wind knocked out of me."

"Should I be glad it hit Al and didn't hit me?" Iago said. "I feel like a punch like that would've taken Abu or me out like a snuffed torch."

Abu cringed at the thought, but Aladdin reached one of his hands to pat Abu on the back. "If I knew that was coming, I wouldn't have let it hit either one of you guys. Still...if Genie didn't know it was there, that's a problem."

As quick as Aladdin spoke, however, Genie appeared with a quick salute. "All clear. Doesn't look like there's anything on the city walls or on the inside that had a magic essence. None other than me or Rug Man at least."

"Do you know what it was, Genie?" Aladdin asked.

Genie's shoulders slumped. "No, and I can't guess what that could've been. We'll have to keep our eyes, ears, and other senses peeled for anything that might follow us."

"I bet it was Jatika," Iago said. "Just a guess."

"Jatika's not the type to hit and run so quickly, he likes fear, remember?" Jasmine said. "Still, might as well head for the Oasis since we're in the clear for now."

Jasmine, Iago, Abu, and Genie all went to climb aboard Carpet, but Aladdin stopped short at the low, menacing voice that echoed in his mind.

_You will always live in the castle, Aladdin._

"Looks like Al got hit a little too hard in his noggin. _Hurry up_, will ya?" Iago shouted.

An idea came to Aladdin. He didn't like the implications of it one bit, but something in his body urged him to walk towards the entrance to the gate of the city by foot.

_When it told me I would always live in the castle, did it mean that literally? What if...what if I really can't leave? _ he thought. _I haven't left the palace walls since Cergul placed the curse on me. It's worth testing, at least so that I won't get knocked off Carpet again._

"Kid?" Genie's voice carried more concern than Iago's had, but Aladdin held up his hand towards his semi-phenomenal friend.

"Give me a minute, Genie. Just...a minute." Aladdin swallowed hard against a lump in his throat as he approached the gates. He reached his hands out to grab the handles, pulling the gate open. _So far, so good_, he thought. His eyes cautiously scanned the view outside the gates. Nothing but the pitched tents of traveling merchants on the outskirts of the city and the sands of the open desert filled his vision.

Only when he took a step forward did Aladdin feel the sensation again. It was far worse than before. In the briefest moment, Aladdin's skin felt like it was pricked by the points of daggers, sinking into his skin all at once. A grey light filled his vision, blinding him, just before the words echoed in his mind yet again.

_YOU WILL ALWAYS LIVE IN THE CASTLE!_

Aladdin screamed as he felt the impact of his body thrown backward, like he'd been hit by a merchant's cart that was out of control. When his senses returned, he realized he was on the ground, struggling to catch his breath. He saw Genie leaning over him, a concerned look on his face.

"Breathe kid, just breathe. You scared all of us there."

Aladdin spoke through clenched teeth. "I had a feeling that would happen."

"What was that?" Aladdin heard Jasmine before he saw her kneel by his side on the ground, using her hand to move his hair out of his eyes. "Aladdin, something just attacked you from outside the palace again. What could possibly...?"

He shook his head. "It's a barrier, Jasmine. A magic barrier. That's why Genie couldn't detect it until we hit close to the city walls. Probably only activated when we tried to leave. More to the point, when_ I _tried to leave." He struggled to sit up, wincing as he did so.

Genie sighed as he helped Aladdin sit up at the waist. "Al's right, and it makes sense. I remembered something just now that I'd forgotten about Cergul. The reason why the time of day is important is because of the curse. There's restrictions on when it works and when it doesn't. Al just learned the hard way that he can't leave the city until nightfall, probably since Cergul expects him to return the gem in that window of time. If not, then...yeah." Genie's expression was full of regret. "Sorry, kid. If had more than semi-phenomenal power, I would have remembered that sooner."

"At least we know now," Aladdin said. "But I think I should've known too, Genie. Based on what it's told me this whole time. 'You will always live in the castle.' Way to spell it out to make it obvious that it was trying to keep me here until I returned the gem."

Aladdin hadn't realized anything odd about what he'd said until he scanned the faces of his friends, who all looked at him in shock.

"_What_?" He asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uh Al," Iago started, cringing visibly, "I know I'm a master of imitating voices, but since when did you speak a language none of us know?"

"Language?" Aladdin said. "Did I say something wrong?" He mentally walked back through his words, replaying them in his mind.

"Try going back to the very last statement you made, Aladdin," Jasmine said.

"About it being obvious?" Aladdin asked.

Jasmine shook her head. "No, just before that. Something it said to you."

Aladdin repeated the words again. "Yeah, it was 'You will always live in the castle.'"

Abu screeched in surprise, his teeth chattering.

Iago slapped a wing over his forehead, running the wing down his beak. "Okay, I'm officially done for the day. First this curse tries to kill us all, and then it has Al speaking a new language. There's an odd perk. Too bad we can't use it for anything."

"You guys really don't understand me?" Aladdin said, the realization slowly coming to him. "I mean, I know what I'm saying and I hear it in my head, but it's not coming out the same to you guys?"

"That's the long and short of it, kid," Genie said. "Definitely sounds familiar to me for tone, but even I can't tell what language that is."

Aladdin thought of something for a brief moment, putting his hand to his mouth. He started speaking the words into his hand...only to realize that it was completely different than the phrase he heard himself think and say. His eyes went wide with horror.

"See? Told you your noggin wasn't working right." Iago said, but Jasmine clamped her hand over Iago's beak before the bird could say more.

Aladdin removed his hand from his mouth, and Jasmine felt her heart lurch at Aladdin's quiet, but simple words - ringing very clear to all of them.

"What's wrong with me?"


	8. Chapter 8 - Talons and Triggers

_Chapter 8: Talons and Triggers_

"They're coming! They're coming, Mirage!" Jatika said. "Oooh, this is fun. Aladdin will be just powerless enough by the time he reaches the Oasis that we'll be able to prevent him from returning the stone. And the deaths foretold will be truth."

"I've said this all along, imp. We've only needed to be patient and wait for this moment," Mirage said, rising from her seat. "I'll admit I've been entertained by what I've seen so far, haven't you?"

"Yes, yes, my pretty," Jatika said. If Jatika was offended by being referred to Mirage as simply an imp, he didn't show it to the cosmic feline.

"Well, then, we don't need to be spectators anymore. Time for us to play our parts in the show. And we're reaching the climax." Mirage chuckled as her claws started to lengthen, the black talons shining in the blood red full moon as if they were already wet with the blood of a living heart. "I wonder what it will be like to pluck each of Aladdin's heartstrings until they snap. Literally and figuratively. I suppose we'll soon find out. Let's go, imp."

* * *

"Looks like you were right," Jasmine told Aladdin. "It was easier to get here when the moon was high. Not that we had much choice." She winced, rubbing her hand in circles on Aladdin's lower back. "I'm sorry."

Aladdin shook his head. "Don't be." He couldn't find it in himself to say more than that.

Genie gave Aladdin a few gentle nudges with his elbow. "Hey kid, I think you might wanna take a look at this before we land."

"You find something?" Aladdin glanced over his shoulder to see Genie sitting cross-legged on his end of Carpet, reading through a small stack of books. Genie had been lost in his own thoughts for much of the ride, pouring through several pages of information that Aladdin knew had to be old scripts of magic.

"Yeah, and I have some good news, bad news, and...more bad news."

Jasmine peered around Aladdin to meet Genie's expression, which had turned into a wince. "Maybe you should give us both pieces of bad news before the good. At this point, I don't know what could be worse."

Aladdin groaned, raking his fingers through his hair that had blown over with the wind whipping around them midair. "Let's hear it, Genie."

"Soooo, the first piece of bad news is that I can only narrow down the language that you were speaking to four old tongues, Al. There's no way to translate easily what you said without finding some kind of old magic for us to decipher it. Either that or just getting the curse removed from you."

"So what's the worse news?" Aladdin asked.

"If we did somehow figure out what you were saying, based on the language of the curse that was put on you - it would instantly kill you."

"_What?!_" Jasmine and Aladdin said almost in unison.

"Ooh, _ooh_, I've _heard_ of this kind of curse before," Iago said, unaware of the horror and sadness falling over most of the group. "Jafar had always wanted to learn how to cast spells like that, but he didn't have the patience to learn most of those old languages. Probably lucky for us he never learned them even when he became an evil Genie."

"Silver linings," Aladdin said, breaking a long silence after Iago's revelation. He folded his arms across his chest. "Guess that busts my theory of having you guys learn what I'm trying to say and breaking the curse that way."

"Not a bad guess, kid," Genie said. "In normal language spells, you could reverse an adverse effect by interpreting the hidden meaning, but since this one's so dangerous, it makes sense it's not easily discovered."

"Good news?" Abu screeched.

"The actual translation of the phrase - the one that Al can interpret - might be a big clue to breaking the curse."

Aladdin's eyes widened. "_Seriously?_ So I guess that means we'll have to look for something that has to do with a castle."

"See, there he goes _again_ with the weird language!" Iago said. "I don't know what that last word was supposed to be."

Aladdin mouthed the word "castle" into his hand, realizing that as he thought the familiar phrase in his mind, it transformed the word into the old language. _So much for getting around the curse through hints_, he thought.

Genie sighed. "It may be better that Al's the only one who knows it. The spell's kind of protecting him from, well, _us_."

"Genie..." Aladdin trailed off at the sight of the pained expression of his friend. He meant to say more, but he saw where they needed to go, his attention shifting. "Carpet, take us down there. Iago, Abu - I think you guys need to take the lead in taking us to the temple. Do you still have the map you stole?"

"Of course we do! Not like we would go back emptyhanded," Iago said, before realizing Aladdin had tricked him into fulling admitting that they did steal the map. Aladdin smiled weakly as they landed, while Iago pulled out the map from beneath his feathers.

"Let's see...from here - we need to go north," Iago said. "Too bad that's the path with the least moonlight. Even blood-colored moonlight's better than nothin', yeesh."

"This is one of those times when Iago's more right than he should be," Jasmine said, which earned the princess a sidelong glance from the parrot. She ignored him. "There isn't another path we can take?"

"I don't want to chance running into anything that might want to stop us from getting where we need to go," Aladdin said, a warning in his tone. "We've been here often enough that anything can happen."

"Don't worry kids, I got this one covered!" Genie shouted, just before transforming into a construction worker with a large lamp on his hat. The light was blindingly bright, prompting Abu, Iago, Aladdin and Jasmine to groan as they shielded their eyes from it.

"At least if you're gonna light the way, shine it down the path, not towards us!" Iago said.

"Uh huh," Abu agreed.

Genie sheepishly grinned, but he walked ahead of the group. They traveled a while, moving through thick brushes, winding branches and thick trees. Only a light breeze stirred the trees around them, no other signs of life through the Oasis even with the full crimson moon in view a distance away.

"It's so quiet," Jasmine said. "I don't know how I feel about it."

Aladdin drew in a breath through his teeth. "I don't like it. Don't like it at all."

"Geez, we're almost there and you guys are trying to jinx our luck. Knock it off already!" Iago said.

Aladdin stopped walking, his attention turned to an odd sound in the distance. The group hadn't noticed that he'd stopped, but Genie caught on before anyone else did. "Al, you good?"

Aladdin's eyes turned towards the horizon, squinting to make out the dark shapes in the sky. At first he thought he'd heard the chirping of birds - an odd sound for the middle of the night. But he saw the group flying towards them before he could discern the sound for what it really was. Their small forms were distinct in the red moonlight, wings beating furiously. What appeared to be a small group soon broke apart to reveal more than Aladdin could count - and they were all headed straight for the light on Genie's head.

"_Genie!_ Kill the light on your hat! We have to run, _now!_" Aladdin shouted.

Genie did so, but he looked at Aladdin with confusion. "Okay, but I don't think the birds in the distance are gonna hurt us."

Jasmine saw the terror on Aladdin's face, and looked in the direction he turned. Her own concern slowly turned to his degree of panic. "Genie, those aren't birds! Those are..."

"_Bats! Bats!_" Abu screeched.

The hundreds of bats flying on the horizon started dipping through the trees, coming straight for them.

Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, and Iago just barely ran fast enough to jump and board Carpet as the group of bats descended around them.

"I thought bats were supposed to fly away from light, not towards it!" Iago shouted.

"I don't think these are ordinary bats!" Jasmine said. "Come on, Carpet, let's get as far ahead of them as we can."

Carpet sped ahead, while Genie struggled to hold onto the map that Iago nearly lost. "Uhhh, Rug Man, we're flying in the opposite direction of the temple. I think you need to make a hard left...WHOA!" Genie swallowed too much air as Carpet took a sharp swerve.

Several of the bats weren't expecting the sudden move, colliding with several trees in the process.

Aladdin struggled to hold onto Carpet's edge alongside Jasmine. "Good moves, Carpet," he said through his teeth. "But try not to throw us off in the process."

Genie cracked his knuckles. "Okay, time to stop these bats with a little Genie magic!" He transformed into a magician. "Now for my next trick, the art of making us disappear - at least towards the bats. If they can't see us, then we're invisible. Abracadabra!"

As soon as Genie snapped his fingers on both hands, the area around them filled with blinding clouds. The bats couldn't see anything, flying and colliding with each other to try to get out of the blinding mist. The downside? Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Iago, Abu and Carpet couldn't see either.

"I understand trying to blind the bats, but why blind us too, Blue Boy?" Iago shouted, coughing loudly.

"Genie, I don't think any of us can see past our hands," Aladdin said, coughing as they stooped halfway through the mist. Even Carpet was hesitant to fly through it, not knowing where to go. The magic rug stalled in mid-air.

Iago winced. "_Ow!_ Monkey, stop scratching my wing. I know we can't see, but no reason to panic."

When Abu screeched that he wasn't scratching anything, Iago realized with a sickening horror that one of the bats had latched onto his wing. As it screeched, Iago yelled, swatting it away with his other wing. The bat's back landed square in Abu's face, causing Abu to teeter and nearly fall from the edge of Carpet. The bat went over, falling through the clouds to the ground below them. However, Jasmine grabbed Abu's tail just before he fell.

"You're lucky you're so close to me, Abu, be careful," Jasmine said.

Abu protested in a series of screeches.

"Abu's right, we need to keep going. Come on, Carpet, you can do it." Aladdin said.

Carpet moved forward, inching through tufts of mists and confused bats that flew past unaware. It wasn't until Carpet moved into the clarity of the night sky that the group realized they weren't out of danger. In fact, a group of bats waited for them and lunged in an all out attack.

Aladdin, Jasmine, Iago, Abu, and Genie all yelled as Carpet spun wildly out of control, particularly from a group of bats that crashed into his underbelly, causing the magic rug to flip over and dump all of his passengers towards the ground.

Abu and Iago landed with a ruffled thud in a group of bushes. Genie managed to stay afloat, but was getting pecked and scratched by bats alongside Carpet.

Aladdin's head spun as he realized he landed on solid ground. He groaned, running his fingers through his hair as he managed to sit up. As he looked around, he realized that one member of their group was missing.

Aladdin knew where Jasmine was, and he only hoped that his fear wasn't truth as he raced to a nearby cliff with a sharp drop.

"_Jasmine!_" He shouted, his voice echoing over the cliff. He realized quickly that she hadn't fallen into the deepest part of the cliff, but landed on a ledge where she lay groaning as she held her head. But the ledge looked like it would break at any moment.

_I have to get to her somehow. I don't care what it takes, but I'm not going to let her die here!_ he thought. He started the climb down, knowing that both Genie and Carpet were too occupied with drawing most of the attention of the attacking bats. He used his hands and feet, trying to grip whatever hand and footholds on rocks that he could.

_Come on, Al, keep it together, steady._ He managed to get to the ledge where Jasmine was, just as she stirred.

"...Aladdin? Where...?"

He cut her off abruptly. "Jasmine, don't move. Whatever you do, don't look down. Keep your eyes on me."

She froze, looking up at him as he approached slowly towards her. He helped her to her feet, holding her close to him as they made their way to the wall of rocks. Jasmine's legs shook. She swayed a little, likely shaken from the fall, though Aladdin couldn't tell if she was hurt or not in the darkness.

"I've got you, don't worry," he said, his breath hitching slightly. "We have to get back up to where Genie and the others are, before..."

The ledge started to crack under their weight. It wouldn't have held long for the two of them, Aladdin knew, but he didn't realize how little time they had.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine cried.

Aladdin knew there wasn't a strong enough hold on the rocky wall of the cliff to hold both of their weight. What was worse, the only path upward showed that some of the bats realized where Aladdin and Jasmine were at that moment. It wouldn't take them long to descend upon them.

_What's worse, getting clawed alive or falling to our deaths? _Aladdin thought bitterly. But he realized he'd seen this scene before in his vision, and there was one way they would make it out alive. He didn't have a lot of time, but he knew what he had to do.

"Jasmine, do you _trust me?_" He shouted.

"Why would you ask that _now?_!" She said as more of the ledge cracked under their feet, close to giving way. "You know I do!"

"Then hang on." Aladdin said through his teeth as he grabbed her and they both tumbled off the side of the ledge before it completely fell apart.

Jasmine's scream pierced through the night air.


	9. Chapter 9 - Seclusion

_Chapter 9: Seclusion_

Iago and Abu scrambled out of the bushes they'd fallen into after several moments of screeching and squawking. The bats that had chased them lost interest, choosing instead to focus their attacks on Carpet and Genie.

"Fine by me - if they wanna set Blue Boy and the rug in their sights, that means less hassle for me," Iago said, pulling leaves and spare twigs out of his feathers.

Abu screeched frantically to get Iago's attention, pointing out that Aladdin and Jasmine had fallen over the cliff. That was enough to get Iago's attention as the two heard the rumble of rocks falling. The two of them witnessed the moment Jasmine screamed, seeing Aladdin and Jasmine tumble in midair. Abu screeched in a panic, while Iago stared in horror as they plunged into the blood red moonlight.

But neither of them expected that Aladdin would use his body to throw himself and Jasmine right into what seemed like a trap door - one the two had discovered during their previous trek to the temple.

"Yeesh, that was a close call," Iago said. "One wing to the left or right, they could've either hit rocks or bottomless pit. How the heck did he know where it was?"

Abu - after letting out a sigh of relief - pointed out to Iago that Aladdin had mentioned having visions of the future after Cergul attacked him.

Iago slapped a wing against his forehead. "Better hope those visions saw them getting out of that alive. That's a _long_ fall. Come on, monkey. We'd better follow them."

* * *

Jatika realized that his fear based magic of "attacking bats" had done its job. Keeping Genie and the magic carpet busy had only been part of the plan. It wasn't until he heard the princess of Agrabah scream that he realized he could break from his disguise. Genie and Carpet's endless swatting turned to panic as they heard Jasmine, and realized she was over the cliff edge.

It didn't occur to Genie then either that Aladdin was nowhere in sight either, ramping up his panic.

_"AL! JAS!"_ Genie's voice echoed through the forest, down the cliff where they fell, but no response to his call. Nothing except the laughter of a very familiar imp.

Jatika's body formed from the convergence of bats in mid-air. He appeared with a wide-grin, floating in mid-air under the light of the blood red moon. "Surprise, _my pretties_ \- you fell for my clever disguise. Wasn't too bad if I do say so myself. Now I have you to thank for the eventual demise of your precious prince and princess."

"What did _you do_?" Genie demanded. Before Jatika could respond, they were both interrupted by Iago.

"Yo! They're okay, Blue Boy! At least it's not the worst case scenario! They fell into the back entrance of the temple!" Abu screeched in agreement as Genie saw them waving from the ground below.

Jatika cursed under his breath. He'd hoped that the two royal pains would've met their demise sooner, but that only meant that his and Mirage's plans were extended. Mirage would have to take care of the rest, but he wanted to have a front row seat to the fun. At least what was fun to him in terms of contemplating ways to kill Aladdin and his group.

Genie looked relieved. "Okay we're going after them!"

Jatika disappeared and reappeared in front of Genie, blocking his path forward. "Not so fast, magic one." His form grew at least five times larger, his eyes turning a shade of red that made Carpet shiver down to his knobs, Iago's feather's ruffle, and Abu's fur stand on end. "You want to get to them, you'll have to get through _me_ first. And I'm not done with _ANY_ of you yet."

* * *

Jasmine slowly sat up in the darkness. Other than a few scratches and bruises, she seemed to be okay. She felt the back of her head with one hand, realizing that she'd have a pretty bad bump there from the fall she'd taken from the cliff before Aladdin reached her. She blinked her eyes a few times to adjust her vision to the darkness, but found it still hard to see.

"Aladdin, that was reckless," she said. "I know you said that you could see things that happened ahead of time, but you could've give a warning...Aladdin?"

She realized she was talking to a large empty space. Aladdin wasn't anywhere to be found. However, she realized quickly where she'd ended up - the temple that was their destination. If only they'd had the map Iago carried, she'd be able to tell where in the temple they'd landed. Still, she worried that Aladdin disappeared out of nowhere.

_Aladdin wouldn't have just left me here like this...something's wrong._ But before she could step forward, a series of screeches and yells came from above her. She sidestepped a certain falling monkey and parrot who came through the same way she'd entered.

Iago and Abu groaned.

"Are you two okay?" Jasmine asked, helping them up.

"Not really, I'm still havin' a headache barely trying to escape Jatika. He's still tangling with Carpet and Blue Boy."

"_Jatika?!_" Jasmine couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yeah, that pipsqueak of an imp was responsible for this whole mess! I shoulda known getting this treasure was too good to be true," Iago said.

"That makes sense," Jasmine said, more to herself than to Iago. "Jatika feeds on fear magic, he was counting on someone finding the gem so that Cergul would curse the summoner. But because of what you two did, Aladdin ended up being the one that was cursed and...Jatika's using the curse and our fears to fuel his power."

Abu clapped his hands in applause at Jasmine's attempt to solve the mystery behind their current trek. Iago didn't look as impressed. The bird looked around, his expression in a frown. "So if you were able to figure that out, ya think Al knows this too? Where the heck is he?"

Jasmine sighed. "That's what I was trying to figure out before you two dropped in. He saved us both but then he disappeared."

Abu screeched with concern.

"I agree, Abu. We need to find him, before..." A loud voice cut Jasmine's words short, echoing through the chambers and turns of the temple.

"I'm NOT going to ask you again! Tell me where the gem is now!"

Iago looked like he wanted to fly back out the way he came in. "Uhh...tell me the voice of that feline isn't someone we know well. I'd appreciate you lying to me if it means I don't have to realize who that was."

Jasmine's brow narrowed. "Looks like Jatika wasn't the only one behind this scheme. Come on, you two. I think Aladdin's in more trouble than we expected."

* * *

Mirage's grip on the front of Aladdin's shirt was nothing short of rough. He struggled against her hold, but he knew he was powerless in this fight. He'd woken up with his hands tied in binds attached to a wall in the temple. It looked like something of an old prison cell, not unlike the ones he'd seen in Agrabah back when he was a street thief and had been arrested by the guards around the time he first met Jasmine. Aladdin knew one thing - he didn't like being tied down. Not having Abu close by to undo his ties made him feel more uneasy.

At first, Mirage looked at him with the cool assurance of someone who tasted victory. At least until she realized that he didn't have the gem on him. Her patience wore thin.

"If you don't have the gem, then who does? _Tell me!_" She demanded, her eyes flashing from a combination of magic and the lanterns that were scattered around the room.

Aladdin shrugged his shoulders, looked away as he rolled his eyes while giving her a sly grin. He intended to annoy her by faking ignorance. "No clue. But it makes me feel better knowing you won't ever have it in your hands because my friends are keeping it safe."

She snorted. "Friends, you say? Well, then - I suppose once Jatika finishes them off, then your luck will quickly run out."

Aladdin's eyes went wide as he turned to face her. "Jatika, _seriously?!_"

"Who do you think worked with me? It should have been obvious since the temple entrance is in his domain. We weren't expecting the twist it would take, though. I thought getting to you through harming Abu and Iago was worth it, but dealing with you directly? Just goes to show how much your so called friends_ helped_ you." She pulled Aladdin closer to her, her own face just inches away from hers. "Tell me where it is, and I_ might_ consider being lenient in how I choose to _kill you_."

His brow narrowed, the seriousness of his expression matching hers. "I'd like to see you try it, Mirage. You need that gem, probably the only reason you're keeping me alive, am I right?"

She snorted as she shoved him back against the wall. Aladdin's pained expression didn't elude her. Knowing how much power she had over him gave her a rush. "I don't need you alive, but I'd prefer it. The sight of your princess watching you die sounds particularly enticing. But she wasn't in the best of shape the last time I saw her." Mirage gave him a long glance - she took note of Aladdin's tattered tunic, the scratches on his arms and chest from the bats Jatika used his magic to create. "Then again, neither are you. Fine, take your time remembering which of your friends has the gem." She turned away from him, walking towards the exit of the prison. "When I return, I'll expect an answer from you. And if it's not the one I want," she paused, giving Aladdin a full view of her sharp claws in the dim light of the room. "There will be _consequences_."

When Mirage left the prison room, Aladdin clenched his fists in his confines, struggling to pull free. "I don't wanna be stuck in this place another minute. I don't know what Mirage has planned, but I'm tired of being a pawn. Just hope Jasmine and the others are okay. We have to get that gem back where Iago and Abu found it. If Jatika or Mirage get their hands on it...I don't know what we'll do."

* * *

Jatika met Mirage not far outside of Aladdin's prison. He could tell that the cat was not pleased with him.

"You're _late!_ What took you so long?" she growled, folding her arms across her chest.

"The Genie and magic carpet gave me a bit of trouble," he complained. "But no worries my pretty. The next phase of our plan will start very soon - we have everything we need. And I do mean _everything_." He grinned, his sunken eyes more pronounced in the flickering lights of nearby torches. "I do love a bit of bloodshed, don't you?"

* * *

Jasmine couldn't make out what either Mirage or Jatika were saying, but she knew that she was in the right place. Mirage and Jatika disappeared in a puff of smoke. She didn't emerge from her hiding place until several moments had passed - enough time to assure they were gone.

Iago and Abu followed her out of the hiding spot. "So what now, you think Al's in there?" Iago asked as Jasmine approached the door that Mirage had come through to meet Jatika.

"I'd bet the palace fortune on it. But something's wrong, I don't think it would be that easy to get Aladdin out of there." She approached the large heavy door, attempted to push it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Should've known. I'm wondering if this door is locked from the other side. There's no keyhole or knob," Jasmine said. "We'll have to find another way in."

Abu started screeching that he found a place to enter, a small overhead crawlspace that wasn't big enough for Jasmine to move through - but Abu certainly could.

Jasmine grinned. "Try it, Abu! See if you can find a way to the door from the other side and let us in."

Abu gave them a quick salute, before disappearing through the crawlspace. Several moments later, Jasmine and Iago heard a few bangs and movements against the door, along with a screeched "Ow, ow, oww!" on the other side of the door. The noise made the two of them look at each other with wincing expressions.

"I"m guessing the furball can't get the door open by himself. Figures." Iago grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Forget asking me to fit through that hole to help him, I'm saving myself time 'cause I know I can't fit through that thing."

Jasmine sighed, then called out to the monkey. "Abu, see if you can find Aladdin and help him to this door. Maybe he can open it and we can meet you here."

Abu screeched his approval, before his screeches disappeared the further he trekked away from them.

"So what are we supposed to do now? Wait for the monkey?" Iago asked.

Jasmine held the sides of her arms with her hands. "I don't see what else we can do. I know Aladdin's somewhere past this door, just a matter of getting to him. It's better than we try to get as many of us in a group as possible. Mirage and Jatika both have tried to separate and hurt us before. I don't want that happening again."

"Fine," Iago said, taking a seat on the ground. "No complaints here. I'm pooped. Too much excitement for _a lifetime_."

Jasmine nodded. "Let's hope Abu doesn't take too long. I hope Aladdin's all right."

Neither one of them noticed that a fair distance away, Mirage watched them eagerly, waiting to see the next pieces of their plan move into motion.

* * *

Aladdin only managed to undo one of the ties that bound him - the one that once bound his left hand. Getting his right hand free was too much of a challenge - the rope around it rubbed his skin raw with so much effort. He finally stopped after a while, wanting a break to breathe. He was half standing, half sitting with one hand still above his head.

"This is taking way too much time," he said. He thought about calling for help, but anything Jasmine and the others would hear likely would put Mirage or Jatika on alert. He didn't take Mirage's threat lightly, but even he noticed that Mirage had been gone for a while. "Where is everyone?"

A familiar voice called out to him. "Well, I'm not 'everyone', but I think I can help you out, kid. Just needed to follow the trail."

Aladdin's expression broke into a grin as he saw Genie appear in a detective's costume while carrying a gigantic magnifying glass, which he pointed in Aladdin's direction.

"Genie! You're okay!" He grunted as he pulled against the bind on his wrist. "You think you can help me out of this?"

Genie nodded. "One free prince coming right up!" He transformed into a chef and used his magic to turn the rope binding Aladdin's right wrist into limp spaghetti noodles, which fell away easily. Aladdin sank to the ground, rubbing both of his wrists. "You doing okay, Al? You look like you had a rough time of it."

Aladdin groaned. "You have no idea. I got separated from Jasmine after Mirage kidnapped me and brought me here while I'd passed out from the fall. I don't know where they are."

Genie transformed back into his normal form. "Well, last I checked, Abu and Iago went after you and Jas when you fell through the trap door. Jatika was the one that attacked us with bats earlier. He chased off Carpet and I haven't been able to find him since."

"Great," Aladdin winced as he spoke. "So Jatika and Mirage separated us again. This is gonna get tricky." He rose to his feet. "Do you still have the gem? I think Iago gave it to you last I checked."

Genie searched his pockets and pulled out the gem. "Yep, still here. Safe and sound."

Aladdin nodded, relieved. "Good, better we keep it as far away from Jatika and Mirage as possible. Also need to find where it goes and be careful not to summon it until we return it. That's the rule right?"

Genie nodded. "Yep. I'll explain on the way out of here, but there are other things I found out about this gem - stuff that Mirage and Jatika likely wanted to use it for."

Aladdin folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah, I guessed as much. Mirage seemed way too desperate to figure out where the gem was. Figured they both had ulterior motives." Aladdin turned away from Genie momentarily to survey they area. He was indeed in a prisoner area of the temple, but he wasn't sure which way to go. "I don't know the way that I came in, but I see there are two ways to get out of here. Which path should we go?

A familiar screeching, frantic at first, abruptly cut off from a distance away.

"Hey, that was Abu!" Aladdin said. "Where did that come from?"

Genie's ears grew two sizes larger. "The acoustics are weird in here, but I think it came from that way." Genie pointed in the direction leading further into the temple.

_Strange, I could've sworn it came from the other direction, _Aladdin thought, but shook his head in silence. _Maybe I'm still woozy from the fall earlier._ "Okay Genie, lead the way. I hope Abu's okay. That didn't sound good."

Genie's words were abrupt and firm, a frown creasing his features as Aladdin looked over his shoulder to his big blue friend. "Yeah, I'm worried about the monkey too. Let's go."

* * *

Abu approached the prisoner area just around the time Genie and Aladdin were in a long discussion. But it seemed like Abu arrived in perfect timing to see Aladdin turn away to look at the entrances to the area, one of which led deeper into the temple. The other way led back to the path where Jasmine and Iago waited behind the heavy door.

Abu noticed Genie's form flicker - and it was enough for the monkey to realize that Genie was definitely not their usual semi-phenomenal friend, but Jatika in disguise. There were no pools of water around to reveal the imp, so Aladdin wouldn't have known on his own unless Jatika gave some other obvious hint - one that signaled the imp's weak power. Abu started to screech, but Jatika-Genie noticed first, using his magic to attack Abu in a swift and easy motion - as easily as pointing a finger behind his back and shooting the monkey in the stomach.

Abu was thrown a fair distance by the magic blast, back into the path from where he came. When he recovered, he realized that when he tried to screech again, nothing came out of his mouth. Abu tried again, but even as loudly as he cried out, he could only hear the frantic voice of Aladdin and Jatika-Genie's efforts to move in the other direction. Aladdin broke into a run that way - with the fake Genie trailing along.

Abu sat up, holding a paw against his sore stomach. He didn't know what to do. He could try to go back and warn Jasmine and Iago, but then he'd lose track of where Jatika and Aladdin were going. It was clear to him that Jatika planned to kill Aladdin when he had the chance. Jatika now had the gem, which meant the real Genie and Carpet were still missing. Jatika and Mirage probably planned it this way - to separate them all and harm them individually.

Abu realized, with a growing horror - that there wasn't much of a choice or time to consider it. The only one that could save Aladdin was him. He took off running in the direction that Aladdin and Jatika-Genie headed, hoping he could catch up with them before it was too late.


	10. Chapter 10 - Et tu, Genie?

_Chapter 10: Et tu, Genie?_

Jasmine ran her hand along the smooth wood of the locked door, trying to search for any crevice she could hold onto with her fingers or a hidden button that would possibly trigger the opening of the door. Yet she'd done this enough times where nothing yielded the way forward. She knew there was no getting inside, but her nerves stood on end in anticipation. "It's taking Abu far too long in there. We may need to find another route to reach them."

Iago sat on the floor of the temple, not far away from where Jasmine stood. He'd positioned himself under an odd gargoyle statue that looked oddly like one of the forms Genie had taken on when Agrabah had their annual scary costume party. (It'd scared Iago back then, and it scared him at that very moment, so he faced away from the statue.) "I'm _actually_ good waiting right here. Racing into _mortal danger_ isn't my kinda thing. Sides, weren't you the one sayin' we shouldn't separate? We find another route while Al and the monkey come bustin' through the door, then we'd really be spread thin. And facing off alone against two cosmically powered beings feeding on fear isn't my idea of a party!"

Jasmine folded her arms across her chest, frowning at the bird. "Genie and Carpet are still unaccounted for, and I don't see..."

A sudden flash of light filled the room, with Genie and Carpet crashing into a nearby pillar, shattering it into several pieces. Iago had to fly from his comfortable seat to dodge a piece of flying debris. When the dust settled, Carpet stood with shaky knobs trying to help Genie to his feet.

"Genie! Carpet!" Jasmine cried, racing over to the two. Genie had a series of cuckoo birds swirling around his head, chirping in an odd symphony before the semi-phenomenal being slapped them away.

"Nice to see you too, princess. A little rough on the landing, but Rug Man and I are in one piece, at least."

"Where have you two _been_? Were you still fighting Jatika, or...?"

Genie held up a single finger, wincing as he did so when Jasmine fell silent and waited for his words. "So, about Jatika. I think I can give you the 30 seconds or less version, but you're not gonna like what you hear." He looked around, frowning. "Where's the conquering hero and monkey? They kinda need to hear this too. Understatement of the millennia, especially in Al's case."

Jasmine folded her arms across her chest. "Aladdin was kidnapped by Mirage, which is why we wanted to find you guys. We saw Jatika and Mirage leave, but Aladdin's trapped behind that door. Abu went in a while ago to help him, but hasn't come out yet. We can't get through it."

"Oh boy," Genie looked even more pale that his usual blue hue. "In that case, this news is gonna sound even worse. Short version: Jatika's got the gem now. He stole it after he trapped Carpet and I in one of his dream realms and fed off our fear for a while. Rug Man's the one who saved us both - realized it was an illusion when the Aladdin in the nightmare world didn't remember the usual handshake."

Carpet made a series of motions that imitated Aladdin and his somewhat secret-but-not-a-secret handshake, using Genie as a wiling example.

Iago slapped a wing over his forehead, his angry glare turning toward Genie. "First I trust you with hangin' on to the gem, and now it's _gone_. Then the monkey's got the only map that shows us around the place, which I gave to him, and now _he's gone too!_ Further proof that I'm the only one around here who knows how _royally dead_ we are now."

Jasmine shook her head. "No, if Aladdin and Abu are up ahead, we need to catch up to them as fast as we can. Find them before Jatika and Mirage do."

"If they haven't found them already!" Iago said, and Jasmine noted the slightest hint of worry in Iago's voice, which wasn't like the bird usually.

Genie transformed into a demolition expert, equipped with a yellow hardhat and jumpsuit. He studied the door carefully. "All right, I'm gonna need to have everyone take cover - these explosives are gonna pack a punch!"

Jasmine noticed several boxes marked "dynamite" that were placed in front of the door they couldn't enter. "Genie...I think that might be a little much."

Iago flew over and yanked the back of Jasmine's ponytail. "No time to _stand around_, princess! _HIT THE DECK!_"

Jasmine didn't have time to get mad at Iago before Carpet scooped both of them up and found shelter behind a large boulder, while Genie rubbed his hands and prepared to pull a large lever connected to the boxes of dynamite.

Iago, Jasmine and Carpet heard a loud crackle, then a light vibration of the area around them, but not quite as bad as they thought it would be. When they dared to look from behind the boulder, they saw Genie covered in soot, wincing as if he'd been blown up instead of the door. The door still looked intact for a moment, until it fell flat to the ground in the direction they wanted to travel, opening the path ahead.

"Okay...maybe I might've crossed the wrong wires, but the job's still done, right?" Genie said, coughing up smoke while giving a thumbs up.

Jasmine nodded, her attention facing forward. "Carpet, let's move." Carpet wasted no time flying off ahead, leaving a slightly disgruntled Genie scrambling to catch up while holding his hardhat.

"Hey, I worked overtime on that plan!" He called out to them. "At least give me _some_ credit!"

* * *

Aladdin struggled to catch his breath as he came to a crossroads in the temple. Since he didn't have a map, it wasn't easy to know where Abu was headed. The monkey had ran far too quickly for them to catch up according to Genie's instructions.

"I think I lost Abu. I don't know which path he took. Anyway, we should probably...Genie?" Aladdin looked down the path behind him, realizing he'd lost track of Genie as well in his pursuit of Abu.

_Oh no, what if Mirage got to him and I didn't notice?_ Aladdin thought in a panic. "_Genie!_" His voice echoed through the dimly lit hall, at least until the familiar voice called back to him.

"Back here, kid! I'm not as young as I used to be. 10,000 years without regular cardio is a bad, bad idea." Genie appeared from the shadows, his expression sheepish. "Sorry, didn't mean to worry you."

"You sure you're okay?" Aladdin said, frowning.

"I'm good, that battle with Jatika wore me out. Also, like I said, not as young as I used to be."

Aladdin smiled, but his expression didn't fully mask his weariness. "Well, I feel a little better knowing you're with me, but we need to find Abu. Maybe he knows where Jasmine and the others are. We really need to tell them about Jatika and Mirage's plans to use the gem. So, help me out - Mirage and Jatika wanted to capture me, get a sample of my blood, summon the gem, and use me as a sacrifice so that they could feed off all the fear magic from our group AND continue Cergul's curse so that they could conquer other kingdoms?"

Genie nodded with certainty. "Yep, all that and then some."

Aladdin groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sounds typical of all the plots Jatika's formed against us before, but I'm surprised Mirage went along with it. Wondering what she gets out of the deal for all this." He shook his head. "Anyway, all the more reason for us to find Abu as quickly as we can."

Genie thought a moment. "He might've gone down the right path, towards the place where he and Iago found the gem. After all, he's got the map."

Aladdin turned forward, his back to Genie. "Sounds like a plan. If we can meet him there, then maybe we can...wait a minute." Aladdin stopped walking, his brow furrowed after realizing something important. "That's not right. Iago was the one who had the map before. How did you know Abu had the map when you haven't seen him since...?"

His words were cut off abruptly by the sound of a loud "_OUCHHHH!_" behind him. A cry that definitely didn't sound like Genie's usual voice. When Aladdin turned, he saw a familiar monkey biting into the arm of Genie. Genie was frantically trying to shake Abu off his arm, but Aladdin noticed that while the rest of Genie's body - head, shoulders, torso and legs - were all the same, one arm was not. The arm that Abu bit into had the same quality as a monster's. Talons on a thin hand were outstretched as if they were ready to strike him.

The realization hit him then, like a cold wave.

"You're not Genie." Aladdin said, his teeth gritted. "I should have known it was you, Jatika!"

Abu leapt from Jatika-Genie's bitten arm, standing near Aladdin's feet in a protective stance, his own expression cold and fierce, but yet Aladdin could only hear pieces of his screeches.

"Abu, what's wrong with your voice?" Aladdin asked. "You can't speak?"

"I might've had something to do with that." Jatika-Genie said. His face and voice were still Genie's, but the expression was cold, even down to the grin he gave Aladdin. "The monkey wouldn't keep quiet, so I had to shut him up. He was making it very hard to have the opportunity to kill you."

"_You!_" Aladdin started to step forward, but Abu screeched a series of broken "no"s to Aladdin, standing directly in front of Aladdin's path.

"I think you should listen to _monkey boy_. He seems to realize how much trouble you two are in," Jatika-Genie hissed.

"Stop using phrases that my friend would only use. You are _NOT_ Genie." Aladdin snapped.

"Oh, my pretty, you're so dull when it comes to suspense," Jatika-Genie said, his voice lapsing into Jatika's familiar speech. "You put on a brave act, but I know your fear, Aladdin. I can sense it coming off you in waves."

"I'm more _annoyed_ than anything else," Aladdin said. "You keep playing this same, _stupid_ game with me and my friends. It's gotten old _really_ quick."

This made Jatika-Genie flinch at first, but then his face turned red with anger. "Oh, you may not be amused by my game, but I'm amused that you don't seem to realize that I'm not pointing out your fear of me specifically. Look around you. Does this area seem familiar to you?"

Aladdin started to protest, but he looked around the split in the temple's pathway, the pattern of the columns, the carvings on the walls. He realized with a sickening horror where he was, and why the area was so familiar. His eyes widened, darted around the room. HIs breath hitched. "No...no, not here."

"Aladdin?" Abu screeched. Though his speech was strained, Abu tried to get Aladdin's attention, wondering what scared the prince so badly.

Jatika-Genie laughed, a cackle that echoed through the room and halls. "I had a hunch you might have seen this room in a vision. You were so busy trying to save your friends that you haven't been paying full attention to the visions that Cergul gave you. You saw Iago's death, Abu's death, the Carpet's death, the Sultan's...even poor Jasmine. You managed to save them all so far. But you've forgotten about your own death, Aladdin." A ball of magic appeared in Jatika's hand, the hand that still looked like Genie's. "And I'm happy to make that nightmare come true."

* * *

"_Aladdin!_" Jasmine called as they flew through the path that Genie opened up. They all eventually came to the area which appeared to be an older prison room. It was Carpet who first noticed any sign that Aladdin had been there once before. He scooped up the item with one knob, while handing it to Jasmine.

"It's a piece of Aladdin's tunic." Jasmine's voice trailed off. "He was definitely here, but we don't know how long ago it was. In any case," she studied the fabric and saw it had spots of dried blood. "This doesn't look good."

Genie frowned, beginning to open his mouth to speak until he heard - they all heard - a steady clapping coming from a fair distance away. The figure made herself known from the shadows by speaking with a light cackle to her voice. "Bravo. Bravo, dear princess. Quite non-impressive detective work for your rag-tag team."

"_Mirage..._" Jasmine started to step forward, but Genie gently held her back by her shoulders.

"Jas, _not_ a good idea to tumble with a cosmic feline. Pretty kitty is _Dangerous_ Kitty."

Iago's teeth chattered. "I'm with Blue Boy on this one. We don't want her to bring out the claws."

Mirage purred in amusement. "Oh, I'm very delighted you recognize me as 'dangerous.' Please, do continue. Perhaps I'll give you a little more time before I decide how best to destroy you all."

"What did you and Jatika do to Aladdin and Abu? _Where are they?!_" Jasmine demanded.

Mirage rolled her eyes and sighed in annoyance. "I _think_ your lover boy and monkey are in Jatika's hands now. At any moment, we'll hear their screams of_ agony_ when Jatika summons the gem he stole from your Genie and takes out Aladdin's heart with his own claws. I wish he'd waited to start the party when I arrived, but..." her expression turned into an evil grin, her eyes glowing. "If it means Aladdin's death, I'm satisfied."

A scream did indeed echo through the halls of the temple at that particular moment, but it was one that none of them expected they'd hear.

Genie was the first one to break the silence in the room, his expression confused as he stroked the tip of his curly beard. "Ya know, correct me if I'm wrong - but I'm pretty sure that wasn't Al just now. Or Abu, if we're judging by inhuman screams. I'd rate that about a 2 out of 5 on the panic scale."

Mirage's face turned beet red, her eyes turning a firey orange. "What is that_ idiot doing?_ Must I do all of the _competent_ work myself? Ugh, seems like my efforts are needed _elsewhere_." She abruptly disappeared from sight, fading into the shadows of the room.

Jasmine shook her head. "Maybe Aladdin and Abu have the upper hand now, but they won't for long by themselves. Come on, let's hurry. They can't be too far ahead."

* * *

Aladdin's body tensed as Jatika-Genie started to rummage his pockets for the gem he stole from the real Genie. What Jatika had revealed moments before was true - Aladdin had seen a vision of his own death in the hall in which the three of them stood. The last thing that Aladdin had seen in the vision of his death were claws that stabbed him in the heart, with Cergul's booming voice noting Aladdin as a worthy sacrifice, as well as the words that had been burned into his mind. _You will always live in the castle._

Aladdin hadn't realized that Jatika would be the one to attempt to kill him. He also didn't realize that Jatika was impersonating Genie until the moment Abu bit the imp's arm. Abu hadn't been in the vision at all. Aladdin's furry friend had averted his proposed death without Aladdin even being once aware of it. At first Aladdin was horrified catching up with the reality of it all, but relief came just as quickly.

"Abu, you really saved..." Aladdin started to say, but Abu's frantic tugging on Aladdin's pant leg cut his statement short. Abu opened his tiny vest to show Aladdin something that was very important to both of them in the moment, making Aladdin realize they didn't have a lot of time, but they needed to act. The revelation made it hard not to smile down at his friend.

"You sneaky thief. You're never going to learn to stop doing that, are you?"

Abu grinned back at him. "Uh-uh."

"Where did I put that gem, I just had it only a few moments ago...yes, here it is! Prepare for your death, street rat." Jatika-Genie's voice echoed through the room, and it seemed like the imp had finally found his confidence with the small shape in his grasp. Yet when he opened up his hand, the gem he expected to see was instead a similarly shaped, plain non-magic rock.

By the time Jatika-Genie noticed this, Aladdin and Abu had made a considerable way down the right corridor of the temple. And that was the very moment when they heard the imp scream in frustration.

Aladdin winced as he looked over his shoulder while following Abu through the winding hallway. "Took him long enough to figure it out, you think? At least we were able to get a head start."

"Yeah, yeah." Abu's voice was still weak, but his enthusiasm wasn't lost on Aladdin.

Aladdin felt like he wanted to say more, but he managed to say what he could in the moment. "Thanks pal."

Aladdin strode ahead of Abu in the winding hall, but realized when they hit a branch in the pathway that they weren't alone. Aladdin quickly picked up Abu by his collar while diverting to a nearby empty room where they hid just beyond a half-closed door. Abu started to screech in protest, but Aladdin put a finger to his lip as he held the monkey close to his chest.

Sure enough, Aladdin's gut instinct had been on point with sensing danger. Mirage entered Aladdin's line of vision in the hall, but she was looking in another direction even as he pulled back into hiding.

"I know you're around here somewhere, street rat! You might've fooled Jatika, but you won't fool me. I'll find you eventually! Your sacrifice will give us the power we need to take over Agrabah and bend it to OUR will."

"So much for going that way," Aladdin muttered under his breath. "Abu, can I see your map? This room has no lanterns and seems to be the only one we've entered so far that has a window we can see by. We can figure out where we are from here."

Abu nodded, pulling out the map for Aladdin. Aladdin sat on the floor, spreading out the map scroll to full view. It was a much larger scroll than he was expecting. The prince gave a side-eye glance to Abu, who shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't know how he was able to fit the scroll in his tiny vest.

Aladdin scanned the map carefully, quickly finding the branching path from which they came. "Based on this, we should be around this area. We're not far from the room where you and Iago first got the gem. And you guys are sure that we need to go there?"

Abu nodded, but he didn't seem as confident as Aladdin was hoping. Aladdin scanned the map once more. "Well, that seems to be the only thing we have to go on. Wish that Genie was here to...wait." Aladdin's brow furrowed as he studied the map. He wasn't sure why the phrase echoed in his mind then, but it made him reconsider the map he was looking at.

_You will always..._

"..._Live in the castle_. That's a hint, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for." Aladdin spoke the words aloud, though he realized Abu couldn't understand what he meant. Aladdin turned the map around in different directions, wondering if that would help him see things better. It was only when he'd turned the map at an angle upside down that he found the connection. "That's what I thought, some of these marked areas on the map are like the points of towers. If we look at the place where you guys found the gem, it's in the room that's marked as the point of one tower. That can't be right then."

"Not right?" Abu echoed.

"No, but that's where Jatika and Mirage expect us to go. I wonder if going back to that room is a trap." Aladdin met Abu's concerned look. "We need to find Genie and the others. I think I know at least three other places we need to check out in the temple based on this map and what I know from the clue. You guys might not understand what I mean, but if we go to the room that you and Iago found this gem, it's not going to do anything to stop Cergul from being summoned. It's not going to stop Jatika and Mirage either."

Abu groaned so heavily that Aladdin couldn't help but smile at his friend.

"You and me both, Abu. You and me both."

A loud crash echoed through the room behind them, startling Aladdin and Abu to attention as they realized with growing horror that they weren't alone.


	11. Chapter 11 - Secrets Within the Castle

**Chapter 11: Secrets Within the Castle**

Iago groaned as he'd fallen out of his hiding place in the same room that Abu and Aladdin had chosen to hide. He grinned sheepishly as Abu gave the parrot an annoyed look.

"_Hey_, fancy seein' _you two_ here. Don't mind me, just findin' a place to hide."

Even as Abu scolded Iago for scaring them, Iago noticed that Aladdin still looked tense. The prince's hands balled into fists and held his breath as if he were either ready to strike or run from where he was sitting on the floor. The bird frowned as he folded his wings across his chest. "What's with you, wonder kid? I know I look bad after hidin' behind dusty vases and with ruffled feathers. You on the other hand are extra rough around the edges." Iago grinned mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows. "Maybe that's what happens when you're wandering around a deep dark temple being chased by supernatural beings that wanna kill ya!"

Aladdin's shoulders and hands relaxed. "Sorry Iago. I thought you were Jatika at first. Can't be too careful around here. Where's everyone else?"

"We got separated lookin' for you. I didn't wanna go runnin' off on a wild gander chase, so I camped out here. Told them we shoulda stayed in one place, but did they listen to me? _Noooooo_."

Aladdin rolled his eyes and smiled, wondering how he could mistake Iago for being anyone other than himself. "Do you know which direction they went?"

"Opposite of where we need to be, where we found the gem in the first place!"

"No, no, no!" Abu cried, motioning to the map scroll he held.

"Abu's right, there's been a change in plans. Where you guys were going is a trap. Mirage and Jatika are expecting us there."

Iago's beak dropped open. "You see this in your visions or somethin'?"

Aladdin shook his head, exhaling quickly enough to make the hair above his brow flare upward. "More like we're going on the clue that only I understand." He stood, brushing dust from his shoulders. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'll explain on the way."

* * *

"Any sign of them, Genie?" Jasmine asked as they stood in hiding down a narrow corridor in the temple. They saw Jatika only moments before, flickering between a disguise of Aladdin's wounded form and his normal impish appearance. Jatika loudly cursed himself not being able to hold his form in order to fool the group. Jasmine knew it wasn't Aladdin for more than that though - the imp couldn't even get Aladdin's eye color right. In the end, Jatika disappeared, muttering to himself that he would find Aladdin on his own.

Genie used a stretching eyescope to peer around the corner and around the hallway after Jatika left. "Looks like Jatika was the only one down here."

Jasmine folded her arms across her chest, leaning against the ridge of the wall. "I feel better knowing they escaped Jatika's trap, but who knows how long that may last. Might be better discussing our strategy in a place more private. Is there anywhere nearby we can go? It's too risky to backtrack to where Iago was. Maybe he was right after all."

Genie stroked his beard with his fingers, appearing to think a minute before a lightbulb appeared above his head, which he quickly clicked off. "I've got just the thing! It's not a map, but the Geniescope can locate where we are in the immediate area and suggest a place we can go!"

Jasmine's brow raised. "Geniescope?" She glanced over to Carpet with a look that was equal parts confused and skeptical. Carpet shrugged his knobs casually.

A strange metallic contraption appeared in Genie's hands as he wiggled his eyebrows. "Only my_ latest invention_ and the best substitution for a map that we have for the moment! Comes with a_ gold coin-back_ guarantee." His voice had all the intonation of a salesperson making an appealing pitch.

"Okay kids, we are here according to this monitor, these three little heat-sensored dots in this corner. At the end of that corridor - looks like Jatika. On the other end of this path...yikes." Genie winced as a realization came to him. "I think we're boxed in. If we take a straight shot to the right at the end of this hallway, we'll run into Mirage." Genie took a moment to adjust the knobs on his contraption, before nodding to Jasmine. "There are a couple of rooms behind us. Actually, I think I see there might be a hidden passageway somewhere along this other wall, just turn left and move upward."

"Left and up, got it." Jasmine said, moving out of their hiding place and along the narrow hallway. Her hands ran along the wall, feeling for any trigger that could lead to the passageway Genie referenced.

Genie called out to her, as she'd wandered a little further ahead of him and Carpet. "Princess, be careful. One of those triggers might lead to..."

As Jasmine's hand pressed against the wall, it yielded much easier than what she expected, causing her to lose her balance. She cried out as she fell through the open passage. Carpet flew in behind her quickly, entering just before the passageway closed.

Genie cringed, only finding his words long after the passage had shut. "...A trap. Definitely a trap."

* * *

"I don't think this is the room we need to be in, either." Aladdin said as he walked into the second room that had been marked as part of the set of towers on Abu's map. The three stealthy avoided both Mirage and Jatika, attempting to see if the map held any clues as to how to lift Aladdin's curse and restore Cergul's gem to its rightful place. Aladdin's eyes scanned the room, but found it gave him a completely different impression than he was expecting. In particular, a table sitting nearby an open window of the temple caught his eye from the moonlight. "This is strange. Unlike the last one, this looks more like a room where a scribe used to be."

Iago gave Aladdin a side-eye glance. "How'd ya guess? Weird room to be in a temple anyway."

Aladdin shook his head. "I remember Genie telling me the only difference between a scribe's table and a sorcerer's table is the way it's shaped. Sorcerer's tables have heavier texts, so the space is wider, wood is thicker. That's why Jafar's table in the Palace basement is bigger than this one. This is definitely easier to sit to, though." He took a seat on the stool in front of the table. Abu climbed up on Aladdin's shoulder as he watched Aladdin run his hand over the wood of the table.

"Yeesh, I'm glad you remembered that," Iago said, rolling his eyes. "I try to put out of my head everything Jafar ever did. I'm scarred for life!"

"Speaking of scarring," Aladdin said, his brow furrowing. "This table's been used so much that the surface isn't smooth anymore. The impressions from the pens over the years from whoever owned it...they used it a lot."

Iago snorted. "Didn't know you were such an expert, Al. Did you miss your second calling? Instead of fighting monsters and being a Sultan-in-training, you could live the more quiet life and write scrolls _pontificating_ the meaning of life for the rest of your days. _Luxury._"

Aladdin winced, moving away from the table as he faced the parrot. Abu remained on the table, examining it with curious interest. "Come on, Iago, it's not like that. Something about this table is familiar. Makes me feel like it's important."

Abu screeched a few words, which made Aladdin nod slowly. "Maybe so, Abu. But I feel like this goes deeper than just a vision." As Aladdin turned to his friend, his eyes widened. "Abu, the gem! It's glowing!"

Abu appeared equally alarmed as he noticed the light growing brighter at his side.

"Is Cergul giving us a hint that we need to summon him, cause I think that's a bad idea," Iago asked, wincing.

"We definitely should _NOT_ summon him. He never wanted to be summoned in the first place," Aladdin said. "Looks like he's reacting to the desk."

Abu removed the gem from his pocket, which bathed the room in an dark green pulsing glow. The pulses quickened to the point where they became brighter, blinding in the bathing glow. Aladdin shielded his eyes with his arm, while Iago shielded his own with a wing. Abu gave a loud screech as the light exploded. When the way was clear, the three stunned friends realized they were in a very different room. The only thing remaining the same was the worn scribe's desk.

The vision was brief as they watched a young man around Aladdin's age sitting to the scribe's table, scribbling furiously as if his life depended on it.

"Hey, doesn't that look like Cergul? This must've happened a long time ago." Iago said, his voice slightly muffled, distant to Aladdin's ears. "What's he doin'?"

Aladdin couldn't find words as he watched the young Cergul scramble to write on the scroll spread out on the desk's surface. All at once, the young man seemed to stop what he was doing, looking up from his writing, revealing an expression of terror that made Aladdin's heart leap in his throat.

"Please...please...you have the wrong man! I have done nothing wrong...I can prove it upon what I've written - it's all here. You must believe me!"

Aladdin wasn't sure what happened next, but the scream the young Cergul gave filled Aladdin's head with such sharpness that it knocked him off balance. Aladdin fell to the floor but broke his fall by stretching out his hands at the last moment, shattering the vision and bringing him back to reality.

Abu was the first to Aladdin's side, screeching softly. "Aladdin okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. You guys saw that too, right? I think we might've seen the moment Cergul...died."

Abu's own low voice rang with sympathy. "Oh no."

Iago shivered, his feathers ruffling. "When can we get out of here?"

Aladdin slowly rose to his feet. "Not until we know what's going on. I think the key to breaking Cergul's curse is figuring out what happened to him. Maybe..." He stopped, surveying the room more closely. _I feel like I'm missing something important here, but what?_

"Look, whatever we gotta do, can we just get it over with and go home? 'Cause my mind's already tangled into knots trying to figure out what's goin' on here," Iago said, folding his wings across his chest.

Aladdin shook his head. "I'd like to, but think about it Iago. Why would Mirage and Jatika go after Cergul and loop us into it in the first place? Besides the curse, that is."

Abu shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno..."

Iago shrugged his own wings, sharing a look with Abu. "I'm with the monkey, I got nothin'. I mean, I wouldn't put it past basic grudges, revenge, wanting all of us dead. You got somethin' we're missing out of that list?"

Aladdin shook his head. "Not much more than a guess. Temples that I know of are usually those that honor or tell stories of those who are lost. True, there's treasures and traps that deter thieves from taking the riches," Aladdin used the moment to glare at Iago and Abu knowingly, which made the parrot and monkey grin with discomfort. "Yet, I don't think there's much of it here. Every room we've been in feels broken, shattered, full of torment. The temple itself connects to Cergul's story. You guys came in here looking specifically for a treasure, but you didn't know it was Cergul's entrapped spirit. You were led straight to it, but you weren't thinking about everything surrounding it."

Both Iago and Abu flinched at Aladdin's latter remark, though Aladdin had spoken it gently and more to himself. Iago broke the uncomfortable silence, speaking in a rush. "Okay, you're still guilt tripping us on getting the treasure and getting you nearly killed. How much longer are you gonna harp about that?"

"Iago, that's _not my point_! This is _more_ than that," Aladdin said, wincing. "I'm sorry - I'm not mad at you guys on that. What I'm saying is that we need to look at this temple like it's telling Cergul's life story. There may be more to it than the tale we already know, why he didn't want to be freed in the first place. We need to look at everything we can and figure out the missing pieces."

Iago started laughing loudly, which abruptly cut short with Abu pulling on his tail and gently screeching that they had to keep quiet. "No, no, monkey, I'm findin' this rich, so rich it's comin' from someone who got his noggin hit too hard. Al wants us to go sightseein' in this dark tourist attraction, while he's got three supernatural assassins callin' for his blood."

"_It's not just me!_" Aladdin snapped. "This involves you guys, Jasmine, Genie, and Carpet - even the Sultan. If we don't figure this out before Mirage and Jatika catch up with us, we won't have any time left. We won't..."

_You catch on quicker than they do. _Cergul's voice cut through Aladdin's mind like the point of a dagger, sharp and focused. It stunned him to silence. _ I will grant you that sense of foresight, Aladdin, but no more than that. Had I cursed those two, they would have been already dead. As would you, I suppose, by association._

"Dead..." The prince's voice trailed off. Aladdin's head felt like it was in a vacuum, all other traces of reality around him started to fade away. He was faintly aware of his breathing, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He could hear Abu screeching in an argument about Iago going too far, but not enough to follow the thread of conversation. His attention was more focused on Cergul.

_This temple is as you have stated, a record of my life. My human form once had a peaceful existence. I was perhaps once like you, looking towards a hopeful future. But I find you irritatingly naive._

"You don't know me," Aladdin argued. "You cursed me without knowing the truth."

_I, too, was cursed by those who didn't know the truth, as well as those who did and falsely accused me._ The blade of Cergul's anger cut through Aladdin's mind, making the prince wince. _That is the basis of our connection - how the cycle continues. For all your talk about breaking it, are you willing to do it? Even if it means your life? I've seen pieces of your memories, Aladdin - your adventures, your trials, your numerous strings of luck. Your sands are running out._

Aladdin felt a surge of pain wrack his head, throbbing filled his temples and his ears began ringing loudly. The gem in Abu's hands came to life with pulsing green glow. Aladdin could see it stun both Abu and Iago to silence mid-argument.

Aladdin couldn't speak, but his thoughts directed to Cergul. _ I won't stop until I know how to free you from this curse, Cergul. You don't have to suffer like this._

_On the contrary, Prince of Agrabah,_ Cergul mused. _I am in the castle already. You will join me very soon._

* * *

Jasmine had her fall mostly broken by Carpet after falling through the trap door. Carpet couldn't protect her from the plume of dust that erupted around them from the impact, though. She coughed, waiving it as much away from her face as she got to her feet. Carpet attempted to do the same by fanning away the dust with his knobs.

"Thank you, Carpet. Now to see where we landed. This room's a little different than the ones we've been in before."

Carpet made a series of motions that took a moment for Jasmine to understand, but once she did, she shook her head. "No, I don't think Aladdin and Abu have been here, not even close. Ugh, we're just running in circles. We should try to find a way out, though it's a little too dark in this room for us to see anything."

Genie took that opportune moment to appear beside Jasmine, startling her and Carpet both as he offered a platter of handheld candles. "Did someone say it was a little too dark - I have all the lights you could want right here. All for the low cost of absolutely nothing!"

Jasmine sighed. "Genie, don't scare me like that. I think you might've scared Carpet a little too." She gestured to where Carpet had suddenly flown under a nearby table to hide.

"Whoops, sorry Rug Man. Didn't mean to make your threads stand on end. And it's not like I was going to burn you - these are magic flames." Genie said as Jasmine took one of the candles from his tray. "Is it just me, or does every room seem like it's falling apart?"

"Right down to the way Aladdin and I entered this place," Jasmine said. "I don't think we're any closer to figuring out why Mirage and Jatika led Iago and Abu here. And more to the point, what curse Cergul put on Aladdin."

When Genie didn't answer, Jasmine turned to face him, seeing that the semi-phenomenal being had a serious look on his face. Genie's eyes scanned the room, and one of his ears suddenly grew two sizes bigger than normal. "Sorry Jas, I noticed two things. One, there's no door out of here. We can't go back the way we came in, but there's probably another trap door in this room we can find to get out. Second, I heard voices in a room beyond the one we're standing in. Can't make out what they're saying though."

"You think it might be Mirage or Jatika?" she asked.

"Dunno. What I'm hearing sounds like someone in trouble, though."

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Aladdin? Abu?"

Genie met her expression with an equally solemn one. "Can't tell. But I know it'll take us a while to find that trap door, so I'll have to improvise. Semi-phenomenal powers only on this trek." He used his magic to place Carpet and Jasmine in two overly large, plush chairs. "You two sit tight, I'm gonna go flying through a few walls to see where those voices are coming from. And uh, try to keep your hands and feet clear. Though for what it's worth, you two are probably safer in this room than anywhere else in this temple right now."

Jasmine groaned. "Okay, but hurry back if you learn anything. If you find Aladdin and Abu, it would be better if we could meet in the same place."

Genie wiggled his eyebrows. "You've got it, Princess. See you on the flip-side." He disappeared through the wall, flying through a series of rooms that didn't yield much other than old furniture and trinkets. But when he heard the same scream again, he knew right away who it was. He just wasn't sure how Iago ended up in a place ahead of them. He figured Iago probably searched for another place to hide and just happened to choose the wrong room.

When he heard Abu's frantic screeches, he realized they were both in trouble.

Genie had only started to emerge from one side of a wall, but quickly retreated behind a worn display shelf at realizing both Iago and Abu were trapped in one corner of the room, pinned to the wall by magic chains. Standing in front of them, with her back turned to Genie, was Mirage.

"I suppose that I'm fortunate to find you two in the same room, considering you were the ones who fell right into our trap." Mirage clapped her hands in mock applause. "Bravo."

Iago grimaced. "I knew I shoulda stayed home, stayed in bed, with a warm cup of somethin' to help me sleep. Now I'm gonna have nightmares for eternity."

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that," Mirage mused. "I could give you the option of not having nightmares...when I make you _sleep_ for eternity."

Abu swallowed hard at her words, screeching softly for Iago to stop encouraging her.

Mirage continued, pacing back and forth in front of them as she spoke. "So we're at a crossroads now. You two have a few things that Jatika and I want. And we have two solutions for you."

Iago shared an equally confused look with Abu before turning to Mirage. "Tell me that one of those options means gettin' outta here."

Mirage raised one brow. "Yes, one of those options does involve you getting out of here. Alive and without any further provocation from either the imp or myself."

"Huh?" Abu said. If his paws weren't pinned to the wall, he likely would've scratched his head.

Iago was a little quicker on the uptake. "So, we give you the map and Cergul's gem, and you let us walk outta here free? I don't get it. What's the catch? You could just take both of them if ya wanted. " He paused momentarily, before adding, "If we had the map and gem on us, that is."

Mirage laughed, clapping her hands together. "That wouldn't be _nearly_ as much fun. And it's a part of the stipulation. You see, Cergul's curse involves punishing those who are greedy and full of malice by punishing those whom they love by extension. Torment the innocent in order to continue the cycle of bitterness. Originally, you two were the ones Cergul meant to curse. But you said Aladdin's name."

Genie felt his own stomach knot at the guilty expressions on Abu and Iago's faces.

"Let's say for a moment that you two admitted you summoned him. That would mean that you both would've been cursed. You would have been able to foretell all the deaths of those closest to you. A fated death chain reaction."

Iago winced, muttering in a low voice not meant for Mirage's ears, but Abu's. "The kid had all those visions, but he still managed to save us. That's what you guys mentioned earlier, right?"

"Uh-huh." Abu confirmed.

"Even if you managed to save everyone from their fated death," Mirage continued, predicting the thread of conversation. "There would be another wave of visions of demises. Nothing would be able to stop it up to the point where the gem's contract would be satisfied by killing all in the visions. Once that happens, those who are cursed die as well. But...there's another option."

"Do I wanna know the second option?" Iago asked, swallowing against another lump in his throat. But as Genie heard the parrot's words, he realized he already knew what Mirage would say, as he'd heard of this curse from a long time before. He had to cover his mouth to keep from uttering anything that would give him away.

"Oh, the second option is a good one. Particularly for Aladdin being the goody-goody-two-shoes that he is. Someone under the curse can invoke the true meaning of the phrase that they're cursed under, sacrificing themselves to keep their loved ones alive. In turn, the trapped spirit in the gem is freed, and the cursed one becomes the one who gains revenge by cursing other greedy spirits."

"Wait...that's not a deal!" Iago said. "I mean, Abu, me, and everyone else lives but that means Al..."

"_YES_," Mirage said, her green eyes flashing in the dim moonlight streaming into the room. "Either choice made means Aladdin dies. _ Painfully_ and _magnificently_. And the bonus? Jatika and I profit from his fear and pain. I feed on fear magic within the realm of Chaos, while Jatika feeds upon fear that powers his magic, particularly in the Moonstone Oasis. It's a win-win for us."

"_No! No! No!_" Abu screeched, struggling against the magic that held him captive.

"That _can't _be the only option. There's _gotta_ be something else that we can do." Iago said. It was the first time Genie had ever heard Iago sound that frightened. Usually the bird had some smart quip or something that would center his own misfortune, but Genie realized that Iago wasn't actually hiding how worried he felt about Aladdin. And he knew exactly how the bird felt.

_This is bad. This is really bad._

Mirage snorted. "Oh? You're actually now deciding to feel guilty over a situation that you two put your friend in? Feeling guilty over essentially _killing_ him? How _sad_. I have no patience for your squabbling. I only have three questions for the two of you. And unless you want me to use every bit of magic I possess to force the answers from you, you had better answer me truthfully." Her expression grew cold as she approached them, making sure to stare Abu and Iago down so menacingly that they drew back from her in fear. "One: _where_ is the map? Two: _where_ is Cergul's gem? And three - _where is Aladdin?!_"


	12. Chapter 12 - Upon the Spinning Wheel

**Chapter 12: Upon the Spinning Wheel**

Carpet found the exit switch to the room that he and Jasmine were trapped within, but he was also the one impaled to the wall once the trap had been triggered. A javelin launched out of a far corner of the room, one that came too quick for Jasmine to cry out a warning. It pinned him to the wall, just as the middle section of a fake wall opened to reveal another room.

It took a few tries, but Jasmine managed to pull the javelin away, freeing Carpet. "Are you okay?"

Carpet gave her a thumbs up, though he had a gold coin sized hole in the middle of what would be his belly, if magic rugs could have bellies.

She sighed. "Come on, let's go. Genie couldn't have gotten too far ahead."

The two made their way for the door to the hallway in the other room, but Carpet suddenly shoved Jasmine back, putting a knob end to his face like he was telling her to be silent. He pointed down the hallway to the right of where they stood. Jasmine realized that Jatika was lingering around the hall, actively searching at the beginning of another long corridor. She leaned her body against the edge of the doorway, only daring to look out as much as she needed to see where he was headed.

"_Come out._ Come out wherever you are, _my pretty_," he said in a melodic tone, which sounded all the more menacing as he emphasized each word. "I know you aren't _far away_ from me, _Aladdin_. It's only a matter of time before I find you."

Jasmine grimaced, sharing a look with Carpet. "We're _definitely_ not going that way." As they watched Jatika disappear in the opposite direction, a familiar voice came from behind them.

"_Psst._ Princess."

Jasmine whirled around, as Genie appeared near the two. "You're okay. Thank goodness."

He smiled a little. "Still in one piece. So I have good news, bad news, more good news, and more bad news."

Jasmine wasn't sure how she should take that jumble of words. She also noticed how pale Genie looked, his blue a lighter shade than before. Whatever it was couldn't be good. "Guess you'd better give us the good news first."

"Well...I figured out where Abu and Iago are. And Al managed to get away from Mirage."

"But..." Jasmine waited, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach.

"Mirage has Abu and Iago trapped right now. And Jatika went after Al apparently."

Jasmine pointed in the direction she last saw Jatika. "Yeah, we saw Jatika just now, but Aladdin wasn't anywhere around. We'll have to find Aladdin before he does. Should we split up again?"

"Jas, I hate to say it, but we need to find Al. From what I could tell listening in on Mirage just now, Al barely got away before Iago and Abu got caught."

Jasmine shook her head. "We can't leave them behind! What if Mirage...? Wait a minute." Something clicked with her then. "Genie, there's something else, isn't there? What aren't you telling me?"

A familiar voice, just barely above a whisper, spoke from behind the two of them. "If you guys are going to talk about me, you _might _want to do it in a room where it's not easy to hear you."

Genie and Jasmine turned to look behind them, down the hallway a close distance from the area in which they stood. Aladdin peered from around the corner of the temple's hall. He motioned for them to follow him. "This way, I know a place we can talk. I have the map."

Genie, Jasmine, and Carpet followed Aladdin to a nearby room. Genie was quick enough to use his magic to put a large stuffed bear toy to block the room. Aladdin wasn't sure that was necessary, but he figured it would prevent anyone from entering the room while they were inside.

Jasmine threw her arms around Aladdin in a tight embrace. He wasn't expecting it, but he welcomed it all the same. "I'm so glad we finally found you. Are you okay?"

"Better now that I finally met up with you guys. And definitely glad you're not Jatika or Mirage." He gently pulled away from the embrace, looking between Jasmine and Genie. "I was with Iago and Abu a little while ago, but..."

"Mirage has them captured. I saw them," Genie said. "What happened?"

Aladdin told them about the vision of Cergul when he was human and the argument that erupted between Iago and Abu. He also told them about how Cergul's spirit had taunted him. "I wasn't able to move at first, but then I saw a vision that had both Jatika and Mirage coming after us. I warned Abu and Iago they were coming. Abu had dropped the map, and I was able to grab it on the way out, but then Mirage came in using her magic just as I was going out. I wanted to go back in, but Jatika wasn't far away, so I found a place to hide in the hallway. Look," He pointed to several places on the map scroll, marked with double lines. "These are all places where there are trap doors and hidden spaces. I just managed to find one that led me back this way. That's when I heard you guys."

"Man," Genie said. "I gotta hand it to you, Al, that was sneaky quick thinking."

"Growing up on the streets of Agrabah taught me a few things about hiding - least when I need to," Aladdin said. He grinned a little, but it was shortlived as he made his next point. "Cergul's gem is with either Iago or Abu. I don't have it."

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Does that mean Mirage can summon it if she takes it from them?"

"No. From what I know, it can only be summoned again in the presence of the person who's cursed by it. Technically, Jatika almost did." Aladdin recalled how Abu barely saved his life by stealing the gem away from Jatika during their encounter earlier. Jatika could've summoned the gem at any time while he was disguised as Genie. The imp waited because he wanted to scare Aladdin as much as he could - for the sake of his own power.

"That's horrible, Aladdin," Jasmine said. "What can we do?"

"First part's getting Abu and Iago out of there. Second part I'm not sure. Still working on it," Aladdin said. "I might know how we can break Cergul's curse. We need to figure out what happened to him, and the temple here has clues to that. We found one part in the vision by the scribe's table, but there are two other rooms. One of them I wanted to backtrack to before I ran into you guys. Iago, Abu and I already searched it before, but we didn't know what we were looking for, so we probably overlooked it."

"Al, about that, there's something you need to know," Genie said, his voice so serious that both Aladdin and Jasmine turned to face him, surprised.

"Maybe we should wait until after..." Aladdin started, but the look Genie gave him was so pained that he stopped short.

"This can't wait," Genie said, his tone soft but firm.

Jasmine gave Aladdin's hand a gentle squeeze. "We should hear him out before we go rushing in. I asked him the same thing just before we met up with you." She turned to face Genie. "Go ahead."

Genie took a shaky breath and told them everything he'd learned from earlier - about Cergul's curse, about Jatika and Mirage's motivations, even about the options that she offered them, and Aladdin's fate. By the time he finished, Jasmine struggled to find words, her expression no less horrified than Genie's had been when he realized the truth. Aladdin however had a more resigned expression, a quiet anger that he didn't voice with words but carried in the tension in his body. He turned away from them, gently pulling away from Jasmine as he balled his hands into fists.

Carpet flew over to Aladdin's side, attempting to get Aladdin to turn around, but he didn't move. Aladdin broke the long silence among the group.

"I had an idea of what they were planning, but not all of it. Jatika and Mirage manipulated Abu and Iago just to get to me. Played on their fears and ours. All of it is some horrible game to them. They're using Cergul as a means to an end too."

"Abu and Iago were worried about you too," Genie said. "I remembered what kind of curse it was after Mirage mentioned the details. Makes sense why they used Cergul with their fear-based magic. Trapping spirits and souls isn't new, but it's forbidden magic that most sorcerers wouldn't touch - particularly for morality reasons. The death cycle resulting from that magic goes on for eternity. Most don't survive it. I'm sorry Al."

Aladdin turned to face Genie. "That's not on you, Abu, or Iago. Never was. This is all on Jatika and Mirage. I'm not going to let them use me as some bloodless sacrifice. There's gotta another way, we just have to find it."

"How long do we have?" Jasmine asked. "I know we mentioned the cycle starts over in another night - before you have the next wave of premonitions. We still have time. And it's still the middle of the night - probably closer to morning now. Should we get Iago and Abu, head back to Agrabah? Aladdin, you're..." She trailed off as she looked him over - his torn tunic, the scratches on his chest, even one of his wrists that had been injured while Mirage held him captive. Her heart ached as she realized what he'd endured since they were separated. Jasmine knew she was in bad shape too, but she had a hard time believing that Aladdin wasn't beyond tired from everything they'd gone through.

Aladdin shook his head. "We're a little too far in to go back now."

"Yeah, Al's got a good point. If we went back, it might undo all the progress we've made. Still, if you guys want to go back," Genie wiggled his fingers. "Say the magic word and I'll do my best to zip us back to Agrabah. Might be a bumpy ride, but it's doable."

Jasmine turned to Aladdin with a nod of her own. "I'm with whatever Aladdin decides, especially if he's up for it."

Aladdin smiled. "Good. Let's get the plan going then."

* * *

Mirage paced around the room, holding Cergul's glowing gem in her hands. The pulse of it illuminated with the same beat of her glowing eyes. She laughed at her fortune for having one piece of the puzzle to manipulate in her hands. Abu lay motionless at one corner of the room, with Iago trying his best to wake the monkey up. Mirage had used several magic blasts to force them to give up the location of the gem and the map. In the end, the parrot with the loose beak gave Mirage the information she wanted to hear - they had the gem, but the map was gone. Aladdin had managed to escape. She silently cursed herself for choosing to appear by magic in the room. If she'd come through the door, she would've caught Aladdin on his way out.

That left Jatika to do the job of bringing Aladdin there. Aladdin wouldn't have had time to escape the imp, would he?

_Unless the Genie and others got to him first,_ Mirage thought. She silently cursed Aladdin's stupid string of luck. That had to be what was taking Jatika so long.

"Ugh, I always have to do the work. But I'm happy to look over the two of you as a bargaining chip until I know for sure," Mirage said, turning her attention to Iago.

"I'd like to be the one who gambles, not be gambled on!" Iago said.

Mirage purred in amusement. "Unfortunately for the two of you, you don't have a choice."

A loud crash resounded on the other side of the door, startling both Mirage and Iago.

"Of course," Mirage grumbled. Turning her attention from Iago and Abu, she disappeared from the room, reappearing in the long halls of the temple. She tried to orient herself around the place, but it was hard to do without the map in her possession. She wished she'd thought to duplicate it before any of this went on.

Jatika's magic barely missed Mirage, which startled her so much that she nearly dropped the gem in her hand. "What do you think you're doing, you imbecile?! You almost hit me!"

Jatika, in his smaller impish form, grinned a full set of sharp teeth in an expression that made Mirage recoil a little with disgust. "Sorry my pretty, but the Genie's right behind you."

Sure enough, when Mirage turned, she saw Genie in the form of a gigantic Gingerbread Man darting in and out of rooms of the temple. "Run run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me - I'm a foil to your plan!" Genie shouted.

Mirage snorted. "Maybe I should teach you how to aim, Imp. Observe." She aimed a series of well timed blasts that landed right around Genie's heels, making the semi-phenomenal being yelp as he ran away. Still, he was getting away from them.

"Ooh, I'd like to see more of this," Jatika mused, following Mirage as the two of them chased after Genie.

In a corner of the hallway, Jasmine watched as they moved out of sight. "Okay, Aladdin, they're gone. Are you sure Genie's going to be able to hold those two off? That looked really dangerous."

Aladdin exhaled a long breath. "He'll buy us time, but how much depends on how quick we are. I'll go get Abu and Iago. Wait here with Carpet. If you can look at the map and tell him the fastest route to get to the room I pointed out, that'll help."

"Gotcha. Be careful, okay?"

Aladdin gave her a quick nod before he moved out of his hiding place. He moved as quickly into the room as he could, with no detection from either Mirage or Jatika as they chased after Genie.

When he entered, he saw immediately how badly Abu was hurt. "Abu! Iago, what happened?"

Iago startled, but relaxed when he recognized Aladdin. "Geez, I thought you guys would never get here. Whad'ya think happened? Mirage went postal with her magic. The monkey got the worst of it."

"I'm so sorry guys." Aladdin said as he picked Abu up, cradling the monkey against his chest. The monkey looked like he was in the middle of a bad dream, screeching softly, but otherwise not waking up. Aladdin also noticed how badly Iago's feathers looked, darkened on some ends like they'd been burned with a flame. "We would've been here sooner. Come on, let's get out of here while we have the chance."

"Where's Blue Boy in all this?" Iago asked, flying behind Aladdin as they ran from the room.

"Buying us time while we figure out how to lift Cergul's curse. We have two more rooms to search. We missed something from the other room we went in before - should've been a vision like the one we saw at the desk."

Jasmine was ready for the three of them when Aladdin came around the corner to their hiding spot. "We're good. You guys ready?"

"Yeah, let's go. Give it all you got, Carpet," Aladdin said as the group of them sped off to the next room. To Aladdin, it was the next point on the map that formed one of the shaped towers.

He wanted to break free of this castle as quickly as he possibly could.

* * *

When they arrived in the room, Jasmine used one of the lanterns Genie had given her earlier to light their way. It still operated under a magical flame - one that Jasmine could turn on and off with a wave her her hand over it. "This room is even more broken than the one we came from. What are we supposed to find from here? Do you know Aladdin?"

Aladdin followed Jasmine's gaze, looking at the cracks along the walls, slashed paintings, and broken silverware. "I have no idea, honestly. But we just came from the room with the writing desk. It was the first vision we were able to see. Cergul was trying to scribble something down before he died. Then he was killed. Wait...how did the original story go again? Something was stolen, right?"

"That's right, Cergul was accused of a crime he didn't commit - on two counts." Jasmine recalled what she knew from the tale, back when they'd first learned of Cergul's fate. "He was first accused of stealing something by a fellow villager. That villager ended up dying under mysterious circumstances. Cergul was accused of killing the man who accused him, so the villagers killed him in response."

Aladdin, wincing at the cruel details, suddenly realized the connection. "No way. Cergul might've figured out who the actual thief was before he died. That might've been what he was trying to write down before the villagers killed him."

"That's horrible. So does this mean we're trying to find the thing that was stolen, then? It was some sort of treasure?"

"Maybe, Jasmine. I've gotta hunch we're probably also looking for that scroll with the name of the actual thief. It may be the same person who murdered Cergul's accuser."

Jasmine groaned. "What a horrible story."

"Eh, you almost feel bad for the guy until you realize he's a vengeful spirit bent on killin' ya," Iago said, breaking the conversation between Aladdin and Jasmine. "Can't say you're innocent if you've got blood on your hands."

Aladdin closed his eyes, his thoughts racing through what he knew. "No, this isn't just on Cergul. Judging from the curse Genie told us about, it involves forbidden magic. So even if...wait, that's it! That's the connection!" Aladdin's eyes opened wide. "Cergul only became a demon after his human form died. He became a spirit demon, and the other part of the tale involves the actual thief and murderer. I'll bet since Genie said this was a cyclical pattern of death magic based on vengeance, there's a link to the current thread of the curse in the way that we got it. So, Cergul's spirit was taken in by..."

Jasmine's own expression lit up with recognition; she smiled at Aladdin. "Another gem, or an object with a gem inside it! That's what we're looking for."

Iago looked between the two of them, sighing heavily. "Geez, you two are way too excited about this whole thing. I'm gonna take a nap while you guys search. Maybe have the monkey help you instead of me."

By this time, Abu was awake, much to Aladdin's relief. The monkey perked up at the mention of a gem, but Aladdin wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. He guessed bad, since he didn't want Abu to end up on the other end of another curse. Aladdin already had to deal with the one directly inside himself, dealing with his curse through another means other than sacrifice would save everyone else. At least he hoped.

"No thanks, Iago. I think we're good. Jasmine, if you see anything, let me know. I wouldn't touch it if you end up finding it though."

"Right," she said. She started searching areas of the room, looking under tables and items on the dusty shelves of the room. Aladdin took another corner of the room. The two of them searched several broken and dingy pieces of valuables, while Iago and Abu dozed on Carpet's surface. Carpet still had the hole in his middle from the javelin piercing him earlier. Abu's tail threaded through it like a piece of string through a sewing needle as the monkey dozed.

Aladdin used his breath to blow the dust from one shelf, which ended up blowing back in his face and sending him into a coughing spell. It startled Iago out of his doze long enough to see what happened. "I could've told ya that was a bad idea, wonder kid."

Aladdin used his hand to fan away some of the dust. "I was trying to see better over here. It's hard to tell if anything has gems on this shelf if you're trying to look through so much dust."

"Did you need my light, Aladdin? I can come over there. I haven't found anything over here, anyway." She approached with her light, holding it just aside from where he stood. "Wait a minute...Aladdin, that might be it in front of you. That goblet."

Aladdin looked in the direction Jasmine pointed. Sure enough, the silver cup he'd just blown a bunch of dust from revealed several gleaming blue jewels on its side. A treasure he could definitely see someone stealing for its value. If he'd continued as the thief he once was, he probably would've stolen it too - to feed himself, Abu, maybe even all the poor kids he'd grown up with.

_Though I would have never killed anyone for it_, he grimly thought. He tore off a piece of his tattered tunic, using it to pick up the goblet. He carried it over to where Abu, Iago and Carpet were, sitting it in the middle of the floor. Jasmine followed him.

"Why didn't you pick it up with your hands?" she asked.

"Have a feeling if I touch this thing, we're going to see whatever Cergul wants us to as a part of this curse. I just wanted to be prepared," Aladdin said grimly.

"Is it even gonna work since we don't have Cergul's gem? I mean, that's what happened last time," Iago said. Aladdin thought he had a fair point. The gem did react to the last vision that he, Abu and Iago saw. Then again, Aladdin had run his hands long the surface of the scribe's table too. He wasn't sure what triggered the vision. The goblet sat in the middle of the floor on top of the torn fabric of Aladdin's tunic, gems of the goblet glowing from the flicker of Jasmine's light.

"Aladdin, you don't have to. I mean if you're..." Jasmine bit her lip, biting back the words she'd intended to say.

Aladdin shook his head, knowing where her thoughts were headed. "I'm not afraid, just cautious, Jasmine. You guys ready?" He looked at the faces of each of his friends (and Carpet, who didn't have a face, but gave a cautious thumbs up to signal his approval). They all looked about as weary as he felt.

_Why does it feel like I'm about to prick my finger upon the needle of a spinning wheel?_ Aladdin thought. _ Reminds me of one of the tales Genie's told several times. Though I'm not a princess, and I don't know whether I'll die or sleep for 100 years. Maybe neither one. Still, I have to do this. I have to figure out the truth._

He reached out his hand, his fingers tracing the rim of the silver cup. It didn't take long before blue light filled the room, and they all watched the memory unfold before them.


	13. Chapter 13 - Memory

**Chapter 13: Memory**

"I do believe your generosity extends too far, sir. Your charge is no longer a boy, but a young man. He should have left the nest long ago." Two men stood in the middle of the vision, in a much finer version of the room that Aladdin and the others occupied. It was a room inside a well established home in a small town, much smaller than Agrabah's Marketplace, even. Both men were dressed in formal tunics, clearly among the elite of the town they resided in.

"You speak out of turn, Kalmar. I adopted the boy when he was just an urchin lurking the outskirts of our town. He is my son; he will always be welcome in my home."

The man called Kalmar, with short hair and scruff covering his chin, balked at the older man before him. "He is not held to honorary status by any of the villagers."

The older man shook his head. "They only look down on him because of his previous state of poverty. When we found the boy, he had nothing but the clothes on his back, and even those were tattered and ready to fall off. The boy's proved himself to be a kind spirit and wise beyond his years. I expect him to grow into a fine historian, chronicling the history of this town and spreading the word of our community for generations to come. Kalmar, surely you must see the benefit of such talents."

Kalmar exhaled slowly. "I do, sir."

"Then please have more patience with him. I ask that of you as well as the others."

When Kalmar saw the old man leave the room, his face turned into a sneer. Aladdin watched as Kalmar took notice of a goblet across the room on the shelf Aladdin had taken it from. "It seems that I'll have to take matters into my own hands," Kalmar said. "I will not let some street rat rob me of what is rightfully mine."

Aladdin watched this vision in silence, his hands balling into fists. Jasmine gently held onto one of Aladdin's arms. The scene shifted abruptly - same room, but the man called Kalmar and the elderly man stood in front of a young Cergul, who looked both hurt and bewildered by the two men staring down at him.

"I am going to ask you once again - where is my prized goblet?" The elder man said, his voice firm.

"Sir, I don't know. I told you before, I haven't seen it at all. I know you both said it was in this room, but I haven't stepped foot in it since..."

"Since before the goblet was stolen, yes?" Kalmar said, his eyes flashing. "A fine story. You are in charge of cleaning these rooms to where there isn't a speck of dust to be had. Surely, you wouldn't have missed such a beautiful goblet missing from its perch on this shelf?"

The boy's eyes cast down to the floor. "I don't want to offend, but..."

"Speak freely," the older man said, a note of impatience in his tone.

"The trinkets look all the same to me. I don't touch them more than I have to, because Father wants me to keep things as they are - in their proper places. When he first took me in and I broke his teacup while cleaning it, I was mortified. But he showed me mercy and gave me an opportunity to work here. I would not betray his trust or wishes."

The elder man's shoulders relaxed. "It seems to me that you speak the truth. You may go, my boy."

Cergul gave a quick bow before he left the room. The older man turned to Kalmar. "I do not believe he is the culprit. He seems unfazed by any trinkets around him. It is as I expected, as I have known him to be all his life. I feel foolish to ask him this in the first place, let alone so harshly."

Kalmar blinked with surprise. "But sir, he was the only one who had the key to this room."

"To _your_ knowledge, Kalmar. This room is not so precious that there aren't many of my servants and other visitors who traverse through it on a regular basis. Perhaps I should not have kept the goblet in this room to begin with. It's an old artifact, one procured from a temple long before my own grandfather was alive. It's been in my family for centuries. I should like to find it if at all possible. I will ask others. One of them must know its whereabouts. I will even look past the betrayal if the goblet is returned to me soon. But I will not cast blame on the innocent, no matter how inconvenient the circumstances."

The vision shifted one final time, the grisly scene taking everyone watching by surprise. But it was Jasmine's horrified cry that was the only audible reaction to the older man's body lying on the floor, eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling. Blood pooled from his head, and not far aside the body lay the goblet, covered on one side with the the man's blood.

The vision abruptly faded away. Aladdin and his friends remained in the room, stunned to silence at what they'd learned.

Iago was the first to speak. "Yeesh, what a way to go. I'm starting to think those kinda gems really are cursed on a generational level. I mean, look what happened to the old guy - ended up biting the dust from the very thing that had been in his family for a long time."

Aladdin shook his head. "It wasn't a curse that killed Cergul's adopted father, Iago. That was done by someone who thought they'd take the opportunity, and frame Cergul for it. Someone who knew both of them. It's obvious from the vision who the culprit might've been, but we haven't seen the whole story yet. Still..." Aladdin's voice trailed off. His voice had started harsh and with anger directed at the deed, but Jasmine picked up on how Aladdin's tone had shifted to something more worried.

"Aladdin, I think I know what you're thinking. Cergul was framed for all this because they didn't think he was good enough under the man who was his father."

"That's part of it Jasmine." Aladdin folded his arms across his chest, looking away from her to rest his gaze on the goblet. "Cergul's village assumed him as the culprit just because of his background, while letting the real culprit go. He was too young. Being an urchin, a street rat..."

"Like you, right?" Iago interrupted. "Man, imagine if somethin' like that happened to you before you met the Princess. Guess that's a reason why Cergul stayed with cursing you than me and the monkey." Jasmine turned her gaze to Iago, looking at him with horror. Abu was much quicker to react, tackling Iago in a tangle of scattered feathers and molting fur. Iago squawked in a continuous series of protests, including how he was trying to make a larger point. But by then, Jasmine had tuned out, turning her attention to Aladdin.

"Don't pay Iago's words any mind. What he said was cruel." When Aladdin didn't say anything, Jasmine studied his expression, which had hardened slightly. "Wait...did something like that happen to you?"

It took a while for Aladdin to respond, but when he did - his voice was quiet. "There were a few times in my childhood when I was punished for doing absolutely nothing. True, I did steal when I needed to - to eat. But some merchants in the Marketplace used my reputation to accuse me of stealing things that I didn't."

"Punished how?" Jasmine asked. He could tell she was genuinely concerned, but Aladdin wasn't about to dig up incidents of the past that were long behind him. He didn't dwell on things like that on purpose. His life was in a much better place than it was back then; he was thankful for that. Still, the memories that bubbled inside his mind, just beneath the surface of where he could reach them, made him weary.

_Oh, but you should. I'm sure they're all dying to know. Much like you almost did. _ Cergul's distorted voice rang in Aladdin's mind. _Tell her. Tell her how you were once exactly like me. But of course you can't because that's what scares you, doesn't it?_

"I'm _nothing_ like you!" Aladdin hissed through his teeth, but he hadn't realized he'd spoken the words aloud. Iago and Abu stopped fighting long enough to note his words, while Carpet and Jasmine shared a look of confusion.

Aladdin shook his head as he picked up the goblet while still holding it with the fabric torn from his tunic. "Cergul's taunting me again. Not a big deal. Let's search the last room. I think all the answers to this puzzle will come together once we see the last piece."

* * *

"Heeeeey, watch where you're aiming!" Genie shouted as Mirage chased him through several winding paths through the temple, shooting magic blasts at his heels. Genie darted from room to room, one step ahead of his pursuers. He'd exit a room just as Mirage and Jatika entered and entered another room when the two exited the room he just fled from.

"Curse you Genie!" Mirage shouted. "Hold still so that I can _destroy_ you!"

"Nope, no can do. Besides, this turning out to be a good workout. I should add 'playing chase with a magic kitty' to my growing list of hobbies."

Mirage's eyes glowed so green it looked like they'd explode at any moment. But neither Mirage nor Genie saw what Jatika was planning. The imp lingered behind them for a few reasons. One was the fact he was absolutely exhausted from flying after them. Mirage and Genie had more energy than his tiny body could keep up with. Especially a body starving for fear.

The second fact was that, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aladdin, Jasmine, Iago, and Abu flying off on their magic Carpet towards the other end of the temple. No, that wouldn't do. Genie had been a diversion for them all along, while the group were trying on their own to break the curse.

"Well, I'll put a stop to that before it gets too far. Besides, I'm sure Mirage will forgive me for falling behind when I present Aladdin as a ready sacrifice for her." He chuckled to himself before he darted in the shadows of the temple, following a careful distance behind Aladdin and his friends.

It wasn't long after that Genie and Mirage stopped in their tracks, both tired of running and chasing respectively. Genie had his hands on his knees, taking a few deep breaths, while Mirage stood a distance away doing the same. For a moment, you wouldn't have thought them enemies of any kind, seeing how tired both of them were.

"To tell you the truth, Mirage - it's waaaaay past our bedtimes. What do you say we stop the chase and take a much needed nap?" Genie used his magic to shift Mirage's form into one of an overly large baby in a crib. Mirage's ears were covered with bonnet, and she wore a bib around her neck. Before Mirage could say anything, Genie stuffed a large pacifier in her mouth. At the same time, he transformed into what looked like a grandmother with a gray, curly wig and a book outstretched in her lap.

"Once upon a time, they all lived happily ever after. Pleasant dreams!"

Mirage was not sure what to be more offended by - the fact that she was being treated like a kid or the letdown of the shortest story she'd ever been told.

"Oh, and one more thing, Dearie," Genie said, still speaking in his Granny voice and form. "You really shouldn't leave your toys around. Someone can get hurt by them." To Mirage's shock, Genie held up Cergul's gem in his right hand. She hadn't realized he'd stolen it from her.

"_GENIE!_" By this time, Mirage's eyes had turned from a brilliant green to red. Genie knew that was his moment to run. He had ample time to get a distance away from her as she tried to scramble out of the tight crib and sheets he'd enclosed her in.

Genie managed to find a hidden place down a hallway to evade Mirage as she zoomed past him. All according to his plan, as she flew straight into a trap he'd set that left her tangled in super-sticky cobwebs with a toy spider to keep her company. She heard him screech his name again, but he wasn't "sticking around" to let her know where he was going. He flew back to the room he'd left Aladdin and Jasmine before they separated.

He transformed back into his regular form. "Man, I thought that wouldn't have gone as smoothly as it did. Hopefully that gives everyone a little more time." Genie realized then that Jatika was nowhere to be seen. He groaned, his relief shortlived. "Jatika probably went after the kids. I'd better to get to them before he does. Here's to hoping they found the clues they needed to do what they need to, now that I have this thing." Genie held Cergul's gem in a strong grip in his right hand, glad that he could at least help out that much.

* * *

"I still don't know what we're supposed to be looking for. I know you guys said that Cergul's scroll that he wrote on before he died might be the final thing, but there's nothin' like that in here." Iago groaned, falling on a nearby seat cushion. It was falling apart, but Iago thought it was a better alternative than lying on the floor. The bird's head throbbed from lack of sleep. Abu, in the meantime, curled around Aladdin's neck, dozing off as the group searched the room.

"We're getting close. Hang in there," Aladdin said. "This is the last room. It's the last point on the map that fits the clue, so it's gotta be in here."

"Aladdin, I found something!" Jasmine called from another part of the room. Aladdin walked over to where Jasmine stood in front of a painting that was ripped apart, so much so that it was hard to tell who the person in the panting was. Jasmine wasn't looking at the painting, but rather the shelf beneath it. She held up the magic candle that Genie had given her to help Aladdin see what she'd noticed. He followed her angle of the light, seeing a shelf with two goblets resting on equally firm saucers. There was a saucer in the middle of the two without one.

Aladdin grinned. "Great find. I'm glad we brought the goblet from the other room with us. Otherwise, we would've had to backtrack for it." He placed the goblet they'd found from the previous room onto the saucer, but nothing happened.

"That led absolutely nowhere," Iago said.

"We're missing something. Cergul's gem possibly?" Jasmine asked. She winced, realizing the last one to have Cergul's gem was Mirage. They had no idea how they were going to get the gem from her without the cosmic feline chasing them down. Not to mention they hadn't seen Genie in a little while, though Aladdin wondered if Genie had managed to distract both Mirage and Jatika for that long. Or had something else happened?

_We need to hurry. Genie could be in trouble_, he thought.

Aladdin studied the goblets and saucers more closely, then made the connection. "The saucers don't match the arrangement of the goblets. They're different patterns and colors, see? Even if we don't have the gem, we might be able to see something if we put them in order. It doesn't look like we can move the saucers either. They're stuck to the shelf."

Jasmine nodded. "I can do it. Let's see, this goblet with the red gems goes with the red poppy saucer. Then the goblet from the last room goes with the saucer with blue hyacinths. Then the goblet with the white gems goes with the saucer with white lilies. That should...whoa!"

Aladdin gently pulled Jasmine back from the shelf as the room began to shake. Iago and Abu both became alert as the shelf moved to the side, revealing a hidden room with a staircase leading downwards. Carpet flew in to check for traps, before motioning with his knobs for Jasmine and Aladdin to follow him.

"How many rooms does this temple have?!" Iago shouted. "If all this hidden stuff is supposed to be what's goin' on in Cergul's head, he seems more shady the deeper we go in this place."

Aladdin shook his head as he followed Carpet down the staircase with Jasmine. "I don't think this temple reflects that at all, Iago. I don't think he's trying to hide stuff, more like he's trying to protect himself."

"I wonder from whom he's trying to hide," Jasmine said, hugging her arms with her hands. "From strangers, which would include us, or himself?"

"Maybe both, Jasmine. That's what it seemed like from the beginning when he said he never wanted to be summoned." Aladdin said. "Still, all the more reason for us to find out what happened to him."

Jasmine walked alongside Aladdin down the staircase to a much larger room than she was expecting. "I think we might be able to find what we're looking for here. This feels like a historian's archive. That's what his adoptive father said he was working towards, right?"

Iago's face fell. "How are we supposed to look through all this before Blue Boy gets caught by Evil Incarnate Times Two?!"

Aladdin's brow narrowed. "Iago has a point. At least we were on the right track when we said that the final piece of it was the scroll Cergul wrote on before he died. But looking through all of these scrolls will take us a while. Genie doesn't have that much time."

_You have time_, Cergul's voice echoed in Aladdin's mind. _In the castle, you'll always have time. You have time from the rest of the world, alone, with nothing more to do than reading the words of those who came before you. Reading their memories, their experiences, knowledge, griefs, things that you wish you known before and things you wish you didn't. I can grant you a clue on what you're looking for, Prince of Agrabah. But you must do something in return._

Jasmine saw the moment Aladdin winced and held the side of his head as Cergul spoke. "It's him again, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Aladdin said, realizing he didn't have to say more on what was happening. "He says he'll give us a clue if I do something for him."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea at all," Iago said, wincing.

"I know," Aladdin gave Iago a side eye glance. "But I'm willing to hear what he has to say."

_Good choice_, Cergul said. _Tell them your memories, the ones I mentioned with you earlier._

Aladdin's eyes widened. "Wait, you want me to share with them _those stories_? I could literally tell them what happened anytime other than now. It's not a secret and I'm not keeping it from them."

_But it's relevant_, Cergul continued. _Tell them, Aladdin._

"I don't like that you're forcing me to...wait a minute." Aladdin stopped short of his thoughts, realizing what Cergul was hinting at. "You're telling me that's part of the root of this curse, aren't you?"

_You really are smarter than the streets you were born on,_ Cergul said, dark amusement coloring his tone.

Aladdin's fists clenched at his sides. "Don't curse the streets that I grew up on, especially when you knew _exactly_ what that experience was like. I_ don't deny_ where I came from; it's shaped me in a lot of ways. It was hard to live by at times, but there are pieces of my life that I wouldn't have experienced if it wasn't for that. You lived it too, right? If you want to curse the place you came from and carry any denial over how it shaped you, then you're no better than the villagers who judged you for it when you were alive!"

Iago and Abu whistled at the same time. None of them could hear the conversation that Cergul was having with Aladdin, but judging from his tone, Aladdin wasn't in the mood for being toyed with.

Cergul didn't respond, a long beat of silence stretched on. Aladdin thought he'd disappeared, leaving them to search for the scroll on their own. But Cergul's voice returned, his voice still firm. _If you wish not to tell them, would you rather it be shown to them? I will offer that option to you, and also give you the clue you seek if you allow it._

Aladdin knew this was important, a turning point in their search that couldn't wait. The memories weren't something he cared to think about, but he wasn't opposed to Jasmine and the others learning them either. Still, he didn't like that Cergul was holding those experiences over his head as a means to an end.

Jasmine looked at Aladdin, her expression questioning, though she didn't ask him outright. Aladdin ran his fingers through his hair, his hand resting on the back of his neck as he explained the situation. "In other words, Cergul wants me to share a memory in exchange for sharing his. He chose the memory he wanted from me, and it's related to what I told you guys about earlier. It's...not good."

"Is that what you want to do?" Jasmine asked carefully.

"Do I have a choice?" Aladdin shook his head. "I still feel like Cergul's holding my life in his hands. Or maybe it isn't him - but the curse itself. Either way, I just..."

Abu screeched with concern, shifting from Aladdin's left shoulder to his right. Jasmine moved closer to Aladdin, cupping his face between her palms as she gently angled his face towards hers. "Aladdin, I'd rather let you make that call. You're not alone in this. You don't have to do anything you don't want. I'd support you either way, okay?"

He nodded slowly. "Okay." He spoke the words as he thought them, part answering Jasmine's question and giving Cergul confirmation of his answer.

_Good, Aladdin. Then lend your mind to mine. _ Cergul's voice echoed in his head, beginning a dull ache that echoed through his body and built in intensity to the point it felt like the force that had tried to keep him in Agrabah before they'd left by nightfall. He felt the world fall away from him. His body began to disappear before his eyes, fading away to nothing. Even as Jasmine's and Abu's voices called out to him frantically, he couldn't respond as his own voice faded to an echo.

Jasmine wasn't sure how it happened, but Aladdin's memory flooded the room in a vision that landed them in the middle of Agrabah's Marketplace under the light of a full, clear moon. Jasmine had tried to reach for Aladdin just as he faded away before her eyes, but her fingers grasped nothing but air.

"Where did Al go?" Iago said. "This is freakin' me out!"

"I'm scared too, Iago. I hope Aladdin's all right, and that Cergul doesn't hurt him." Jasmine said, anger building in her voice. "Agreeing to Cergul's terms must be what did this."

Abu started motioning for Jasmine, Iago and Carpet to follow him.

"I'm glad Monkey Boy knows where he's going." Iago said, folding his wings across his chest.

Jasmine nodded in Abu's direction as she stepped onto Carpet's waiting form. "Abu's known Aladdin for longer than any of us. Maybe he knows what we're going to see. I wish Aladdin were here, but we don't have anything else to go on other than watching Aladdin's memories for what they are." She let out a low, shaky breath, preparing herself for what could be a difficult memory to watch. "Let's go Carpet."


	14. Chapter 14 - Bloodless Sacrifice

**Chapter 14: Bloodless Sacrifice**

Genie knew the exact rooms where Aladdin and the others were headed. Passing by the first room, he didn't see them there, so it made sense to go to the last one Aladdin had pointed out just before they went their separate ways. Just as Genie suspected, Jatika had arrived there sooner. Genie transformed into a tiny mouse on a whim, scurrying past the point where the imp appeared to search for a trace of anyone he could find.

Slipping past Jatika's sharp eyesight was a challenge. The imp could see just as well in darkness as in light, something that Genie had to struggle with as a semi-phenomenal being lurking a realm within Jatika's own domain in which the imp had the advantage. But unlike Jatika, it didn't take long for Genie to find what he was looking for. One of the shelves in the room was slightly displaced, leading to an entrance of a hidden passageway that had partially closed off. It was the only indication that anyone had been in the room. Genie squeezed his mouse body through the narrow opening, running down the dark staircase and into a room with several scrolls, some left open on tables and others stored on shelves.

Genie transformed back into his usual form, taking in the sights around him. "This looks like an old historian's room. Guess Al, Jas and the others would have their hands full searching a place like this, but where did they go?" Genie frowned, at first lost in thought as his eyes scanned the room.

When Cergul's gem started glowing in a quick, pulsing rhythm, he noticed right away as it lit up the room.

"Whoa, have to put on the shades for this one." Genie used his magic to make shades appear on his eyes, but frowned at the sight of the quickly pulsing gem. "What's making it freak out this much, though?" Genie tried walking in a circle to see if Cergul was reacting to something important in the room, using the gem like a metal detector looking for coins or jewelry. He found his answer when his body turned towards one particular shelf. He tried holding up Cergul's gem to each of the shelves to see if it reacted to one more than the other. He found his answer on the bottom shelf, to a lone, dusty scroll that was tucked behind a goblet similar to the ones he'd seen on the shelf leading to the passage way.

As soon as Genie picked it up, the gem gave one final burst of light before going dim. "Judging from that reaction, I guess this is important. Better hang onto it, just in case. I wonder if this is what they were looking for."

"Hey Al, kid! Looks like I gave Mirage and Jatika the slip. Are you down here?"

Genie grimaced when he heard a voice that was very similar to his own at the top of the staircase of the room. He knew exactly who it was, but that wasn't hard to deduce considering there was only one Genie of the Lamp.

_That's the worst impression of me - made by a being that isn't me - that I've ever heard, _Genie thought while slapping his palm against his forehead. He hadn't heard many others who imitated him on a regular basis, though. There was Iago, sure, but even Iago was better than Jatika's current half-hearted impression. The imp wasn't even trying, but maybe it would have been enough to fool Aladdin or Jasmine if they weren't expecting it.

_In that case, if Jatika wants to act like someone else for the time being, maybe I should really show him how its done,_ Genie thought, as he used his magic to transform into an imitation of Aladdin. _ Just wish that Al was here to see this. Oh well, I'll tell him about it later - after we get through this._

* * *

Jasmine recognized the part of Agrabah that Abu led her toward. While what she was seeing appeared to be a glimpse into the past, the sight of boys and girls that lived and played on the streets of Agrabah was only a little different from the present. It was night, however, and many of the kids looked like they found corners and alleyways to sleep in considering how late it was. Her heart lurched a bit, realizing that many of these kids didn't have parents or homes they could stay in. True, over time, Agrabah had improved much with her father's growing strength of power, especially over the presiding council members who had long neglected the needs of these kids. But the memory that she, Iago, Abu, and Carpet watched told a different story.

Her attention focused on a group of boys who appeared to whisper amongst themselves. Only one of them seemed tired, stretching his limbs over his short cropped brown hair. He didn't look to be much more than 10 years old. Abu pointed him out quickly.

"That kid's not Al, what's wrong with your eyes, monkey? Lack of sleep?" Iago teased.

Abu screeched defiantly, arguing with Iago that he knew who he was following.

"If this is supposed to be something both you and Al remember, then where the heck were you in all this?" Iago continued. "Would've thought we'd seen you by now."

"No, no, no." Abu shook his head firmly, screeching another stream of dialogue that Jasmine picked up on.

"Abu's saying this happened before he met Aladdin. That he only knows because Aladdin told him what happened."

Iago folded his wings across his chest. "Well, the monkey could've told us that in the first place."

Abu answered Iago in a quieter tone this time, which Jasmine spoke aloud. "Abu says it wasn't his story to tell. That it was hard for Aladdin to talk about."

"So he told the monkey this story, but didn't tell you?" Iago said, his attention turned to Jasmine. The comment stung, but Jasmine wasn't affected by it too much. She remembered the parts of conversation she heard Aladdin speak to Cergul, though she couldn't hear Cergul's response. Aladdin had said that this story wasn't a secret, that he could tell it at any time. But she saw how the memory hurt him, the pain in his expression. Why was Cergul trying so hard to make Aladdin share that memory, and why had Cergul said that he and Aladdin were "the same"? Those two questions floated around in her mind, even as she moved closer to the group of conversing boys, including the one Abu had his attention on.

"Hey, hey, did you hear about what happened in the Marketplace earlier today? Man, you guys missed a lot!" One boy said.

The boy Abu had pointed out groaned. "Oh come on, Samir, not this again. Do you always go in the middle of the Marketplace when there's something going on? Or are you just lying again?"

Samir's frown deepened in the darkness. "I'm NOT lying. This actually happened and I can prove it too! Just listen, though. Some kid our age got caught stealing from a merchant today. And it was one of the meaner merchants too - the Bear."

Several of the boys cried out in alarm various phrases that Jasmine picked up on. "The Bear?" "Really?" "That meanie?"

"Hear me out!" Samir continued, and all the boys quieted down. "So listen, for those of you guys that don't know about the Bear, let me explain. Only the best thieves get away from stealing from him. You don't wanna get caught by him at all. No one likes him, not even the other merchants. He charges high prices and he punishes those who steal from him in public, even if they're kids! I've heard the first time you steal from him - he takes his whip and gives lashes on the back for the number of items the thief steals. The second time you steal from him, though, I've heard however many items you stole from him, is the number of fingers that he cuts off from your hand."

"Gross!" All the boys chimed in reply. Abu's fur bristled, Iago's feather's shook, and Jasmine felt her own skin prickle with fear.

"Anyway," Samir continued. "One of our usual crewmates was punished before by the Bear. He got four lashings in the middle of the Marketplace about a month ago. But this was his second time stealing. The Bear didn't see him run away. Had he been caught, he would've had all of his fingers cut off. He stole 10 pieces of fruit!"

"Whoa!" One of the boys called out. Jasmine felt her stomach turn as Samir continued his story. She had a feeling of what was coming next in the tale, but remained silent as the boy spoke. Abu, Iago, and Carpet also listened with fascinated interest.

"But there's one kid among us who's NEVER been caught by the Bear before now. He always outruns the merchants and he doesn't steal all that much except for what he needs. He doesn't run with us though. Still, when the Bear was asking the other merchants who stole the fruit, they didn't want to give the name of the actual thief. The merchants knew what would happen and thought it was too cruel. So, they gave the name of the other kid, because they knew him to be a thief no one could catch. That kid was nowhere near the Bear's stand. So the Bear searched, found that kid, and dragged him by his vest collar to the middle of the Marketplace. The Bear tied the boy's hands together, then beat the boy TEN times with his whip across the back. I couldn't see it all from where I was because of the crowd, but I heard it was pretty bad."

Jasmine had no words as the boys fell silent. _Oh no. No, no, no_.

"At first I thought the Bear would get away with it. Some of the adults watched it happen, others looked away and pretended like it wasn't happening. But the difference this time around - the Agrabah Palace guards actually saw the last few times the boy was beaten. For most of it, he didn't yell or cry, but I think that's what the Bear wanted him to do. So the Bear doubled the whip to make it thicker, and hit the boy so hard he cried out - twice. That's what the guards heard. They arrested the Bear. One of the Palace guardsmen went to free the boy who been beaten, but he ran away from them, even though he was hurt. They let him go. As for the Bear, he's been banned from Agrabah, permanently."

"Wait, they didn't put the Bear in the Palace dungeons for that? Why?" one of the boys asked.

"Apparently one of the Sultan's confidants, Jafar, pardoned him. Said the Bear was acting according to the law to protect his wares."

Jasmine's hands curled into fists. She knew Jafar overlooked many cruelties working under her father, but she didn't imagine he'd overlook the abuse of a child in such a public display. If the boy had lost his fingers, would Jafar have overlooked that too?

Samir continued, his face turning to an amused grin. "But man, rumor has it that the Sultan was really mad when he heard the whole story. The Sultan was able to banish the Bear over Jafar's pardon. He couldn't commit the Bear to the dungeon since he's a merchant from another kingdom. That would cause too much tension between the kingdoms, ya know."

Jasmine felt a memory stir in her mind. One time she was playing with Rajah as a child in her room, she'd overheard her father in an argument with Jafar in the Palace halls about the implementation of law and punishment. Jafar's anger had been more subdued, and while she'd never liked her father's advisor, she heard Jafar gently push the Sultan to realize that holding a criminal from another kingdom could cause diplomatic relations between the kingdoms to be strained. The Sultan had relented, but was firm in his decision to "banish the instigator so that he would never step foot in Agrabah again." Though the Sultan also lamented not being able to find the boy that was punished, to "help him" and assure that he'd never be harmed in that way again.

Iago broke Jasmine's train of thought. "As much as I'm fascinated to hear about Jafar's acts of cruelty that none of us have to suffer anymore, what does any of this have to do with Wonder Kid?"

"Hush, Iago. I don't know. Maybe Aladdin helped the boy who was hurt in some way. Or maybe..." Jasmine's voice trailed off. If she had to guess the worst case of things, maybe Aladdin had seen the poor boy suffer his fate in the middle of the Marketplace that day. She winced. That would be hard for anyone - young or older - to watch. Now that she realized this story was the reason that her father had changed the punishment laws that merchants could enact towards thieves, though there were some merchants who still tried to take matters into their own hands. When Aladdin had saved her in the Marketplace the first time they met, the merchant had almost cut her hand off. Aladdin had been quick to swoop in and create a diversion. She realized she was very lucky.

She wanted to know what had happened to the boy. Was he still alive?

Abu didn't say anything, but he looked incredibly sad, his head bent low. Carpet used one of his knobs to pat the monkey on the back in reassurance.

The boy Abu had pointed out chose this moment to speak. "So where's the kid now? The kid that was beaten today?"

Samir's grin grew wider. "Oh, he's just past the border of this part of the city over this way. None of us can get to him though. Even though he was hurt, he managed to scale the wall to the other side of the residential area. He's probably already dead."

Jasmine, Iago, and Carpet all looked shocked at the boy's blunt words. So did the boy Samir addressed.

"That's where you come in, new kid," Samir continued, unfazed. "I know your brother's a merchant who sells medicine in Agrabah on certain days and you're only here until tomorrow. But if you're gonna hang with us, you'll have to prove you're useful. You get to see if that kid is still alive. And you have to bring back proof."

"W-why me?" The brown-haired boy stammered.

"Cause it makes for a cool story. Also, none of us are allowed in that part of the city at this time of night. We've been caught over there before, and if we get caught again, we'll get punished. Maybe not as bad as that kid did, but it would be inconvenient. Unless you're too afraid to do it."

"I-I'm not afraid! And why would you say he's dead? He probably just went home to his parents."

Samir shook his head. "Nah, that kid has no parents. He's a street rat, just like the rest of us. So, how about it, Imad? Are you going to do it?"

"Do it! Do it!" The other boys chanted. Jasmine gasped as she recognized the name of the boy. Imad was a regular herbal merchant that Aladdin knew from the Marketplace; he currently lived in Getzistan. Aladdin and Imad had met many years ago, based on what Aladdin told her. She'd even interacted with him many times when they visited the city. Upon looking at him more closely, she realized it really was the Imad she knew. He was much shorter and thinner as a boy than the young man he'd eventually become. Though he and Aladdin were around the same age, Imad towered over Aladdin in both height and muscle. Some thought that was a good selling point for his health and herbal products.

_So that's the connection, _she thought.

Abu ran ahead of them in the midst of the vision. Jasmine boarded Carpet with Iago, following the young Imad as he made his way to the border between the residential areas.

* * *

Imad tried several times to scale the wall. It wasn't as tall as the wall that guarded the Palace, of course, but it was sizable enough that a kid (or even an adult) would have a hard time scaling it easily without getting hurt. Jasmine had to admit the boy really tried his hardest to make it to the top, but kept falling - quite ungracefully - each time he made an attempt.

"Ugh, how was someone as badly hurt as that kid able to do this?" Imad wondered aloud. "I know they said if he was still alive, he'd probably be sleeping close to the border between neighborhoods, but I don't know where to search along this wall. They could've given me a hint." Imad's cheeks puffed out as he exhaled a long breath. He studied the area, looking for something he could use - a foothold, a easier area to jump between, anything really.

Then Imad appeared to realize he was doing it wrong. He didn't need to get over the wall, he needed to find a way around or under it.

Going around the wall was not an option, not unless he wanted to run into Palace guardsmen who patrolled the gates between parts of the city. They would wonder why he was up past his bedtime and assume the worst. Jasmine guessed, from the way his eyes scanned the edge of the wall, that he needed to find a way to go under.

He found it - through a small opening that looked freshly dug. Imad didn't seem to like the idea of burrowing like an animal, but he took the opportunity anyway, using his hands to make a space large enough for him to shimmy under the wall. He was surprised when it led to an underground passage, with a series of rolling dirt mounds that dropped off to a pathway with torches lining the walls. "So that's how the kid did it," he thought. "Maybe he's somewhere down here. Better hide the place I came from for now."

Jasmine gasped as she recognized the area they were within the city. She turned to Carpet. "Carpet, isn't this the place where Cergul's cursed shadow attacked you and Aladdin? Before you guys separated?"

Carpet appeared to nod. That area of town was also where Aladdin found Abu in the middle of the monkey's episode of paralyzing fear following Cergul's curse on Aladdin. Well, on all of them, technically. _ What an odd coincidence_, Jasmine thought. It was a horrible way to link an event which clearly caused Aladdin grief, but Aladdin somehow hadn't made the connection. Or maybe he did and hadn't wanted to say because it would worry her.

_Aladdin, why do you keep so many secrets from me? It's hurting me knowing how much this hurts you, even if I don't know all the details._

"Hey, that kid's getting ahead of us. Are we following him or what?" Iago complained, breaking through Jasmine's thoughts.

"We don't have much of a choice, Iago. Let's keep going."

"Least it makes it easier to know this is a vision of the past. Walking through walls and barriers isn't something I know how to do on the regular. Also looks like any danger we might see is not aimed at us, at least," Iago said. "I wonder if this is how Blue Boy feels walking through walls."

Jasmine had to remind herself they were walking through a vision, because everything felt so real. It was like she was in the middle of Agrabah on a regular summer night following a boy who participated in a harrowing dare made by kids his own age. Except this involved finding another boy cruelly punished who would either be very hurt or possibly dead. What surprised her the most was how it appeared Imad was the only one concerned whether the boy was alive or dead.

Abu started screeching frantically, pointing in the direction ahead of them towards a dark corner of the pathway. Imad appeared to make the same realization, running ahead of them while saying in a frantic voice, fully to himself, "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead."

They saw what looked like a boy who was curled up and facing away from them in a corner of the pathway. But it was clear to Jasmine that the boy was indeed the one who was punished in the Marketplace. The dark bruises and cuts that covered his back were proof enough.

"Hey, are you okay? Please say something." Imad said frantically.

The other boy responded, but Jasmine was too far away to hear. She and Iago flew closer on Carpet until they were a distance away. They still couldn't see the other boy's face, but they could see his wounds and torn clothing in the dim light of the flickering torches lining the walkway.

It was the voice of the other boy that made Jasmine's blood turn cold with realization.

"Let me guess, they sent you to see if I was still alive? You must be pretty brave to come down here by yourself," the familiar boy said. "You're braver than any of them, I think."

Imad exhaled a long breath. "Not as brave as you were. I mean, you took the fall for another kid who stole from the Bear. That's not something just anyone could do."

"It's because everyone knew I was a street rat; I was an easy target, maybe a bloodless sacrifice. I didn't know what was going on at first. But if I ended up saving someone else from something that would've been worse, I think it was worth it."

Imad sat cross-legged by the boy, whose face remained turned away from the group. "Does it hurt? Your back I mean. It looks pretty bad, I think you might need medicine for it."

"Nah, I just need to sleep. You'd be surprised what you can live through, you know?" The boy tried to laugh but it was quickly followed by a painful shudder. Jasmine could imagine the boy clenching his teeth trying not to yell.

Jasmine felt tears well up in her eyes, her thoughts racing through her head. _Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me?_

"Still," Imad said. "My brother sells medicine. I can steal some from him, give it to you to help you heal."

"No, you shouldn't. You shouldn't do something that's going to get you in trouble and where you'll get caught. Besides, he's your brother, right?"

Imad rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. I guess you're right. He'd probably notice it was missing and know it was me. Still, I don't know what I can do. I really want to help you, though. Wait, I'm sorry. I never told you my name. I'm Imad. What's your name?"

Iago's jaw dropped as the injured boy turned his head enough to look over his shoulder at Imad. Jasmine already knew. It was painful enough to hear a younger version of his voice, but seeing the pain in his eyes as he looked at Imad was enough to make her feel like the world had dropped from under her, at least if Carpet hadn't been holding her up in that moment.

"Aladdin. My name's...Aladdin."


	15. Chapter 15 - Cages

**Chapter 15: Cages**

It was a rare occasion to see Iago stunned to silence, but as he looked between Jasmine, Abu, and Carpet, he had nothing to say about the scene they just witnessed. It was probably for the best since there appeared to be more to learn in the conversation between Imad and Aladdin as the boys remained in the hidden passageway beneath Agrabah.

"How did you find this place, Aladdin? I would've thought more street rats like us would've found it by now. Beats sleeping on the streets."

"Found it a while ago. This used to be an old escape route from the Palace."

Imad's eyes widened. "It goes all the way to the Palace? Have you ever been there?"

"It _used_ to go that far. And no, I've never been to the Palace. You go a little farther in that way, you'll reach a dead end quick. But if you go the other way, towards the residential area, you'll run into the Palace guard. They patrol the main opening and won't let anyone in 'cause it's 'property of the Royal family of Agrabah.' That's what I was told once when I tried to come in from that way. They didn't count on anyone finding another way in."

"So did the guards light these torches on the walls?" Imad asked.

"I lit them. Not last night, but other times I was here. We're so far down, the guards can't see them."

"Wow," Imad said, impressed. Aladdin smiled a little, but it was shortlived as his expression turned pained. Imad looked so worried that Jasmine felt the ache in her chest double at the sight of both of them.

"Aladdin, those wounds don't look good. I-I don't mind getting the medicine for you. I can even get you bandages too, if you want. Would probably be a good idea since some of those cuts look like they might open up."

Aladdin shook his head. "I don't want you getting in trouble because of me. I don't want..." He trailed off, unable to say much else.

Imad broke the long silence between them. "If you're worried about the Bear, he got kicked out of Agrabah. That's what I heard. The Guard was looking for you to see if you were okay."

Aladdin looked skeptical. "You mean they weren't there to arrest me?"

"That's not what they were saying around town."

"What they say and what they mean are two different things. I don't trust 'em."

Jasmine drew out a long breath. Aladdin really had a lot of street smarts at such a young age. His caution was understandable - particularly with the way people treated him.

"One of these days," Aladdin said, his eyes unfocused on anything in the room. "I'm gonna be strong enough to take whatever whips people use to beat me down, tall enough to stand up in a fight, be better than this. I just...have to survive tonight. That's all." His voice trailed off, and Imad looked horrified until he realized that Aladdin had drifted off to sleep.

To the group's collective surprise, the memory playing out before Jasmine, Iago, Abu, and Carpet shifted abruptly, with what looked to be the following day. Imad was dressed in different clothes. He had difficulty lugging around a sack of items that Jasmine - at first - couldn't tell the contents of by sight. Aladdin stirred awake from the sound of Imad grunting as he pulled the sack closer.

"What's all that?"

Imad grinned. "It's to help you. Hang on, I just need to drag it a little farther. Then I'll go back and close up where I came in." It didn't take long for Imad to do what he intended before returning and kneeling down beside Aladdin. "I got you medicine and stuff to cover the cuts on your back. Came from my brother."

Aladdin winced. "Imad, you shouldn't have stolen those. If you get caught, you could really get in trouble!"

Imad shook his head. "No, I told my brother what happened. He didn't get a lot of money from selling today in the Marketplace, so the supplies were already there - extras. He promised not to say anything, even distracted so the Guards couldn't tell where I was going. They're still looking for you, though I figured if you wanted to be found, you would've told them yourself."

Jasmine saw Aladdin sit up with some difficulty. He looked weary, but peered at the bag with curiosity. "You got all this stuff for me?"

"Well, you need it, right? 'Sides, I wanted to make sure that if I come back to Agrabah, you'll be alive and we can talk again."

Aladdin didn't miss Imad's choice of words with "if." He looked up at Imad with a furrowed brow. "You're not coming back."

Imad looked guilty, realizing Aladdin didn't phrase it as a question. "I don't know when we'll be back considering what happened yesterday. But I wasn't gonna go away without helping you. Wouldn't you do the same thing?"

Aladdin's mouth parted, but it took him a while to find the words he wanted to say. "Sure, but...no one's done that for me before. I don't have any siblings. So I probably would've had to find a merchant to steal all that stuff from to help you."

"All the more reason for me to get this for you. Not stolen, but still."

"It's still stuff your brother could've sold though, right?"

Imad shrugged, not answering. Jasmine wondered if the boy's silence was intentional, not wanting to tell Aladdin more than he needed to.

The memory that Jasmine and the group witnessed shifted once more. This time, it was in the middle of the day in Agrabah. Several merchants were waiting in or at their carts to leave the city. The Agrabah guards were checking to make sure that no one was unaccounted for or carrying goods that they weren't permitted outside the city. Imad sat waiting on the back of his brother's cart with several goods they hadn't sold. His brother hadn't sold much in the past two days. Some of their cargo had been given to Aladdin.

"I think you might've given him too much. But if you said he needed it, then I got no regrets," Imad's brother had told him. "We'll just have to make up the difference selling in other kingdoms for now."

Imad felt his stomach turn at his brother's words, but overall, he didn't regret having helped Aladdin. He hoped Aladdin could use the supplies for a long while.

Something suddenly shifted on the side of the cart. At first, Imad thought someone was trying to steal from them, but he realized there was a extra sack that was leaning slightly over to the side that hadn't been there before. He also saw a figure near the sack, one donned with a cloak that hid his body and part of his face. But Imad knew exactly who the boy was when he spoke in a quiet tone.

"You guys need this more than I do. I hope we meet again eventually."

Imad's eyes widened as Aladdin looked directly at him, nodded, and leapt back down from the cart to the city streets. Imad saw Aladdin wince from the action, indicating that he was still in more pain than he should've been, and definitely not moving around to the degree that he was.

"Wait! Hold on a minute!" Imad stopped short, realizing if he called Aladdin's name, it would draw unwanted attention to both boys. Jasmine recognized this too, though Aladdin's name hadn't been mentioned to the guards. No merchant had come forward to reveal it. Jasmine didn't miss the irony in the merchants being quick to name Aladdin as a scapegoat, but failed to mention him when he suffered a clear act of injustice. She wondered how Aladdin felt about that now, was it something that bothered him?

Imad searched the bag, wondering if Aladdin had returned everything. It didn't make sense for Aladdin to not use anything. But he quickly realized that there were a only a handful of items missing from the bag. The rest was left intact.

"He really _does_ only take the things he needs," Imad said in a low voice as he watched Aladdin disappear into the crowd. "I hope it helps Aladdin. I hope we meet again too."

Jasmine, Abu, Iago, and Carpet magically appeared back in the Historian's room in Cergul's temple. Although, instead of Aladdin being in the room with them, Genie looked at them with his jaw dropped while Jatika, who was tied up with some thick vines decorated with blooming flowers, squabbled and complained about not being able to move.

Iago was the first to break the silence among the group. "Okay, I have questions. MANY questions. First off, how were we able to see what we just saw? Second, so Al was the kid who was at the center of all those changes in Agrabah's Marketplace and we never knew it until now? Third, where is Al? And fourth, when did Blue Boy get here?!"

Abu nodded his head along to each of Iago's questions. Carpet appeared to scratch his head with his knobs, then shrugged.

Genie raised a brow, though his voice revealed his concern. "Well, at least I can answer two questions. You guys probably got back the same way you went, by the magic of Cergul's temple and the link to his curse. For the last question, I found my way here by following the places you guys said you would be. But I thought Al was with you. Apparently I missed the party."

Jasmine groaned, realizing that there was more story to cover than they really had time for. "Genie, we..." She trailed off at the sight of something in Genie's hand and gasped. "You have Cergul's gem?"

Genie grinned. "Yep. I successfully trapped Evil Incarnate Times Two - Iago's preferred nickname for Mirage and Jatika - took back the gem, and even found something important! I'm not sure what I got, but figured it was necessary since Cergul led me right to it." He held out to her the scroll he'd picked up. "Also figured I'd let you kids look into it first since you were searching for clues earlier." Jasmine took it from him, even she couldn't help but feel relief at the find.

"That's the scroll!" Iago shouted. "The last clue!"

"Oh yeah!" Abu cheered, but his excitement was shortlived. He screeched several statements, including Aladdin's name, with such painful melancholy that it made the whole room go silent.

Genie looked between Jasmine, Abu, Iago and Carpet, his expression growing more serious. "Guys, what happened?"

Jasmine did her best to sum up everything they'd seen - the circumstances behind Cergul's death, the clues they'd found, how they'd even entered the Historian's room they were standing in. She also explained at length the vision of Aladdin's memory that Cergul had pushed for so forcefully in a deal that she didn't know the terms of. By the time Jasmine was done, Genie had cycled through so many emotions that he physically turned himself into a slot machine that reflected seven different faces. Then it made a very distinctly unpleasant sound with the words "Game Over" flashing above the machine.

He soon shifted back to his usual self, thinking a moment before speaking his thoughts.

"So, that horrible memory you guys saw with Al is linked to Cergul's curse. How exactly does that add up?"

_I can explain it to you, should you choose to hear it. _ Cergul's voice echoed through the room with such a force that it stunned them all to silence. The glow of the gem was pulsing vibrantly in Genie's hand. Jatika seemed annoyed and restless as he watched the interaction, but he didn't say anything.

"I would rather you tell me where you took Aladdin," Jasmine snapped. "He gave you the memory you asked for. What more do you want from him?"

_I want him to understand the situation he's in,_ Cergul said, with a tone that matched Jasmine's annoyance. _ He's to share the fate. His memories shown to all of you speaks to that._

"Some of that may be true, Cergul, but Aladdin's nothing like you," Jasmine countered. "I understand that you were treated horribly by the people around you when you were alive. Aladdin's experienced that as well. But the two of you have taken completely different paths in dealing with that pain. I'm not convinced this is all a part of the curse you say he's under, but more of your own cruelty."

To everyone's surprise, Cergul started to laugh. _You seem sure of your thoughts, Princess of Agrabah. Do you know his heart so well that he would not turn to such darkness if he were offered the choice, given the circumstances?_

"He wouldn't," Jasmine snapped. "Aladdin chooses his own path, always. He tries to help people when he can. Some of it involves sacrifice, sometimes he even gets hurt, but he also chooses to live, to survive. He doesn't..."

Jasmine was surprised when Cergul finished her words. _He doesn't deal well with cages. No street rat ever does. He will return eventually, but I'll aid that return only after you have seen the final piece of my story. I have to say that I'm impressed with all that you've accomplished up until now, Aladdin especially. He's even managed to not to reveal to any of you the cursed phrase while pursuing pieces of my past. I thought he would do all this to avoid his own death, but he's somehow pursued this to understand me and protect all of you. Perhaps he is not the selfish soul I thought he was, as I was initially misled to believe._

Iago winced, not liking the comment Cergul made towards him and Abu. But the parrot picked up on something else in the demon spirit's tone. "Why do I get the feeling he's hiding somethin'?"

Abu and Carpet nodded along to Iago's words.

Jasmine turned her attention from Iago to Cergul again. "Why not now? Aladdin's been with us this whole time discovering each piece of your past. Shouldn't he be here now to watch the final clue? I'm going to ask you again - where is Aladdin and what did you do to him?"

The gem in Genie's hands stopped glowing, showing that Cergul had ended his part of the conversation.

Genie turned the gem over in his hands a few times. "Guess we'd better do what he says. I'm willing to bet he'll honor his part returning Al once we watch it. He's under the terms of a curse he was bound under, so he can't do anything else."

"But you felt it too, right Genie? Cergul was hiding something; I could tell it was intentional," Jasmine said.

Jatika had remained silent through most of this conversation, but he chose the moment to speak up. "Ooh, this is getting _so good_. I can't wait for the big reveal, my pretties. It's sure to be a real _heart-stopper_."

"Oh will you _shut up already!_" Iago took the moment to find several bound scrolls littered on the floor and throw them in Jatika's direction. Jatika only had a limited range of motion in his vine entanglement. Several of the scrolls hit the imp in the head and face.

"Iago, you might want to _stop_ that." Genie warned through clenched teeth. He didn't seem opposed to Iago taking out his frustration on the imp. At the same time, Genie appeared on edge for a reason none of them could place.

Iago paused, intending to throw the next scroll in his wing at the imp's head. "Why should I?! _That guy_ is at least _a third_ of the reason why we're all in this situation _in the first place!_"

"Because in case _you forgot_, this temple is in the middle of said imp's domain. Jatika could choose to have the whole house brought down on us _right now_ if he really wanted to. And since we don't know where or how Al is, I don't think that's a good idea."

Iago frowned, turning to face a smiling Jatika, who revealed two rows of overly sharp teeth. "Fine, but I'm getting one more in for him makin' me remember Jafar while watching Al's bad memories." He threw the scroll, but it completely missed the imp. Jatika let out a groan of relief.

Jasmine opened the scroll in her hands. She read aloud the inscription.

"To those who may read these words, I have been framed. I shall accept my fate as long as it is known that the father who raised me was killed by his comrade, Ka-" Jasmine stopped abruptly. "He never finished writing the name. I think that was the moment he was killed."

"Oh no," Abu screeched.

"Ka? Oh wait, that guy - Kalmar!" Iago said.

Genie winced. "So the big bad was Kalmar, the one you guys said tried to convince everyone Cergul stole the goblet?"

Iago nodded. "Then the old guy bit the dust after getting hit in the head with said goblet."

"Iago! You don't have to say it like that," Jasmine said.

"Just bein' honest," Iago said, shrugging his wings. "And even with all that, why haven't we seen the vision thingamajig yet?"

Jasmine wondered the same thing. "What did Aladdin do to start the vision we saw the last time? We didn't have the gem back then either."

"But you do now," Genie said, holding out the gem to Jasmine. "You wanna try? Maybe Al was able to get it going just because he was directly linked to Cergul's curse. We're just under the extensions of it, from what Al told us."

Jasmine nodded as she took the gem. "Everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded - except Jatika, who rolled his eyes at the group's exhausting display of unity. Jasmine touched the gem to the edge of the scroll, which flooded the room with a brilliant light.

Jasmine stood in the middle of the scribe's room, stunned to see the villagers standing around Cergul's body like they hadn't just committed a heinous act. His body lay slumped over the writing table. Only one thing was more jarring about the scene in front of her, and she noticed that factor quickly. One of the ways in which Cergul had met his end as a human was that he'd been partially killed by the same instrument as his adoptive father.

The goblet with the blue gems. It was covered in blood again, lying near the feet of Cergul's human body. It had been the connecting point at first for a theft, then two murders. She was about to say something when she heard a voice echo around them, drowning out the many villagers who sneered, laughed at, and cursed the boy they just killed.

_I hate them. I hate them all._

"Who was that?" Iago asked. The bird began to tremble at his knees.

"Cergul?" Abu said, his voice quiet.

Jasmine nodded. "That sounded like him."

_First they killed my father, then they killed me. What did they have to gain by framing me? I wish I never came to this town. All I wanted was help. All I wanted was a family, a life, someone who actually cared about me to give me a chance._

Another voice echoed through the room. "Do you seek revenge? I can give you that power. The power to teach them a lesson for what they've done to you so that they may never do it again to others."

_Yes! Please, if you can help me, I'd do anything. They need to pay for what they've done._

"Very well," the voice responded to Cergul. "But no power comes without a price. You must be willing to accept the consequences."

Cergul's spirit scoffed. _ I've already lost my life. What more do I have to lose? Please, just help me already!_

Jasmine gasped as the scene played out, just as the legend had foretold. The dark mist consumed the room, causing several villagers to flee from where Cergul's body still lay. It covered the entire village, and when it was finished, there was nothing left. A deserted town, like no one had ever been there.

_You just erased everyone,_ Cergul said, stunned.

"Yes, I told you that I had that power. Those that were consumed by my mist will be in eternal torment forever. As will you."

Cergul gasped. _What...what do you mean? I was wronged by all of them. They killed me!_

The voice laughed. "Such foolishness. Your request was made with vengeance, which is one of the provisions of the source of my power. Malice, Greed, Vengeance, and Sacrifice. The curse passes along the lines of those that summon me for such a purpose. It is the same curse contained in the gem that your adoptive father had in the instrument that killed him. And it is that same instrument that now drives the power that will bind you, so was the request of the sorcerer that first placed this curse on the gem. The evil only unleashes if one is willing to access it, either by death, or by life and reading the cursed script while summoning it. You wanted my power; I warned you of the cost. Now it shall consume you, all that you love, and you are now in MY castle."

Cergul screamed as brilliant blue streams of light wrapped around him like chains, and dragged him into one of the gems on the overturned goblet, which then exploded, pieces scattering along the floor. The false gems shattered easily, but one gem lay glowing on the floor intact. Jasmine knew the significance of it, as it was the same size and shape of the one Genie held in his hand.

The vision ended abruptly.

"That answered a lot of questions, at least most of the ones I had. Some of it was fuzzy, especially with the weird statement the demon made towards the end. Couldn't get all of it," Genie said with a scowl. "Cergul got tricked by the demon already in that gem, who was probably once a human who got cursed too. Makes sense with the cycle continuing. Whoever he was, he essentially traded places with Cergul because Cergul's request to destroy the people who harmed him fell under one of the curse's conditions. Probably less than the number of years I spent in the lamp, but still a long time."

Jasmine looked at Genie. "What does this mean for Aladdin?"

Iago frowned. "Al doesn't fit any of those things! I mean, his theft and stealthily avoiding the truth sometimes is one thing; the kid's not perfect all the time. But it's not like he'd go out and kill anybody, wish anyone dead, or steal anything just to make someone suffer."

Genie counted the reasons on his fingers as Iago listed them. "We're missing one out of the four conditions we heard. Iago knocked out three of them."

Abu screeched, coming up with the last suggestion. "Sacrifice?"

Genie's expression turned from one of concern to sadness. "There it is. The monkey hit the point on the banana." Abu raised a brow to Genie's odd comparison, but Genie kept onward. "Cergul was betting Al would sacrifice himself to save us. He doesn't know the kid too well, especially since Al wanted to find a loophole to that."

"Still doesn't explain why Cergul showed us that memory, nor does it explain why he didn't curse both Iago and Abu once he figured out that Aladdin wasn't the one who summoned him," Jasmine said.

As if in response to her question, Cergul's gem pulsed in her hand. Jasmine dropped the scroll, startled, but managed to hold onto the gem.

At that moment, another shimmering light emerged in the room, along with a familiar voice that had Genie, Iago, Abu, Carpet and Jasmine feeling cold shivers down their spines. "Oh you lot really are _dense_. Cergul's bound by the terms of his curse, so he can only do so much. That's where the imp and I come in to add the cherry to the sundae." Mirage said as she appeared, her lips turned into a wicked grin. "Hope I didn't take too long in missing Aladdin's death party."

Genie had to place his hands on the sides of Jasmine's arms to keep her from launching at Mirage. Carpet and Iago were also holding back Abu from doing the same.

"I get how you feel, monkey, but not a good plan to attack them! They're cosmically more powerful than you!" Iago said while his wings held on to the monkey's tail.

Jatika started to laugh, though he was still trapped within the vines that Genie wrapped around him. "Oh, this is a twisted little game that I love. Despite all of you pretties getting in the way of our plans, this will be the final breath that wretched hero takes. And yours, eventually."

Mirage's smile faded, turning to annoyance as she glared at the imp. "Not quite there yet. But Jatika's right, you put a dent in _almost_ every single one of our plans." She held up a single clawed finger for each point she made. "First, we allowed the curse to take its course in attempting to scare and kill the lot of you. But Aladdin foresaw all of your deaths and managed to prevent them. Then we thought you would be fooled by trying to guess the phrase Aladdin was cursed under. The stupid Genie figured out that wasn't an option."

Genie grinned sheepishly. "Ha, not bad for a semi-phenomenal being, wouldn't you say, kitty cat?"

Mirage's eyes glowed. "_Let me finish!_ Third, the lot of you came a night early before the next cycle of death visions would start. That accelerated our plans with setting up the traps of the temple and using our magic to fool and separate you. Our plan was to take the gem and the map away from you so that you would have no choice but to summon Cergul and have Aladdin make the choice of sacrifice. But you kept it away from us this long and figured out the puzzles in Cergul's temple, as well as its purpose. I'll admit, that wasn't bad. Much smarter than I gave you credit for. But the final piece of it, as expected, none of you have managed to figure out. Not even you,_ semi-phenomenal brute_."

Genie's expression turned to one of mock indignation. "Wow, that's original. The cat claws _really_ came out for that one. But you still have cobwebs in your hair, so I can't take you seriously." He stuck his tongue out at Mirage.

Mirage glared at him, but still used one of her hands to run her claws through her hair. Genie hadn't been wrong. Parts of the web he'd trapped her in still clung to the top of her head. Escaping that trap took far longer than she expected.

Jatika continued with a wide grin. "But the final part is the best one. I was actually hoping we would get to this point. So close to gaining freedom, but in the end, street rats never do well with traps. Especially ones they run right into, not realizing the significance until it's too late."

"What did you do?" Jasmine repeated, her tone quiet, but not with any less anger than before.

Jatika shrugged. "Oh, I suppose Cergul could probably tell you since it's his curse, but Mirage and I have our own little part in it to help accelerate the process. You see, it has to do with that little memory that Aladdin thought wasn't significant at all. But it's a much bigger deal when you're physically reliving the worst parts of that memory."

Genie suddenly realized what that meant, his expression faltering. "Wait...you're saying while you were making Jasmine and the others watch what happened, you were making him _relive that whole thing_?"

"Not us. That was Cergul's doing; it's the terms of his curse. He had to relive a version of his own death before the demon traded places with him." Mirage corrected. "Cergul asked for that specific memory from Aladdin. He probably tried to look for other memories where Aladdin's back was against the wall, but those memories involved all of you helping him."

Jatika clicked his tongue and shook his head. "The fact that all of you have such strong attachments to Aladdin, so, so pathetic. Cergul was forced to choose one before he met any of you. One that was painful enough to submit Aladdin to his control."

Abu shook his fist at the imp, screeching a statement that challenged the imp's words. "Imad!"

Mirage rolled her eyes, waiving her hand away to dismiss the monkey's claim. "Oh right. Him. Insignificant. Aladdin's trapped in Chaos right now and having his memories eaten away by fear. He's forgotten all about you by this point. And likely that street merchant as well."

"What did you say?" Jasmine said, speaking through her teeth.

Jatika laughed again. "Oh your anger is so delightful, my pretty. Let me put this in terms that all of you can understand. Mirage's and my powers are fueled by fear. We are using this temple as a link between my realm and Chaos to feed on your fear as well as Aladdin's. This broken temple is a manifestation of Cergul's essence. Look around you, doesn't the temple seem different to you than it was before?"

Iago looked around the room, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening. "Uh guys, I don't mean to creep you out, but didn't this room look like it was falling apart before? It's not like that right now."

Carpet gestured frantically with his knobs in the same direction Iago was looking. Jasmine, Abu and Genie all looked and gasped as they realized that the once torn walls, broken shelves and tables were steadily repairing themselves.

"It means that Cergul's one step closer to being free," Jatika said, his grin widening to show all of his sharp teeth. "The more Cergul's temple improves, the more Aladdin's life drains away. Just like the sands of an hourglass. As Aladdin continues to relive a twisted version of that memory over and over again, it's creating a scenario where he won't remember anyone who cares about him, where he's left to perish."

Mirage continued, somewhat amused. "Street rats don't do well in cages indeed."

Jasmine turned to Genie. "There must be something we can do to stop this, Genie. If what they're saying's true, Aladdin will..."

"Die, Princess? Is that what you want to say? Do my ears deceive me in that you're actually agreeing with the end result?" Jatika finished, sneering at her. "What can you possibly do to save him from his fate? There's nothing to be done."

Jasmine held up Cergul's gem. "I know you can hear me, demon. I know you're no longer human, so I can't pretend to have sympathy for you anymore with what you've done. We've held our word to your terms. Either you bring Aladdin back, or you take us to him. We'll put an end to this game."


	16. Chapter 16 - Parallel Worlds

**Chapter 16: Parallel Worlds**

_Do you foolishly believe you can save him now, Princess? _Cergul said, the gem glowing in her hands. _Very well, allow me to do only what I can, enough to say your goodbyes. I can only take one of you into Chaos. I thought Aladdin would have been strong enough to return on his own here. To make the decision he needed to make._

Genie muttered something under his breath, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "That's cheating."

"There's NO decision Aladdin needs to make!" Jasmine snapped, agreeing with Genie. "You keep changing the terms and trapping him. It's just like Aladdin said before he disappeared - if you think any of this is reasonable, then you're no better than the people who killed you on the basis of their own prejudices. They judged you, and now you're judging Aladdin. You are not removed from blame for ANY of this."

The gem stopped glowing. Cergul went very quiet.

"Geez, ya think she got to him, monkey?" Iago said to Abu. Abu shrugged his shoulders in response, turning to Carpet, who gave a shrug of his own.

After a moment, the gem glowed again. _Make your decision on who will go to Chaos._

Mirage scoffed. "As if that will do you any good."

Jatika only laughed. Each laugh the imp gave sounded like he was dragging his claws on wet rocks, an audible screech that made Mirage's head ache.

Genie looked over to Jasmine, sighing heavily. "I should go, Princess. Chaos is too dangerous. Al and I have been there enough times to know it's not a space to walk into lightly. Not to mention something always goes wrong and nothing is what it seems. If something happens to Al, considering it's his distorted memory, none of you guys would make it out of there alive. Maybe Rug Man and I would since we're magic beings, but that's a tough call too."

Jasmine shook her head. "No, if you went, then who would have the power to make sure Jatika and Mirage don't try anything? Genie, I hate to say it, but we need you here. Carpet too, in case Abu and Iago need to escape if something happens. I'll go."

Iago frowned. "I'm not happy about this idea. Nope, not at all. Scrap it and throw it back where it came from."

Abu screeched with worry, sharing the same opinion as Iago. "No, no, Jasmine."

Jasmine bent down and stroked the fur on the monkey's back to calm him, in the way that Aladdin would normally do. She didn't have any else to say in the moment.

Jatika shouted a taunt towards Jasmine. "Have fun, my pretty. Regardless of who goes, say your final goodbyes to Aladdin for me. I suppose it would also be your final goodbye to your friends as well, whomever's chosen."

Jasmine bit her lip, holding Cergul's gem up again before Genie could protest. "Take me to him, Cergul."

_As you desire, Princess._

"_Jasmine!_" Genie called out before Jasmine disappeared into a misty, gray fog.

* * *

Jasmine fell to her knees in a quick, heavy landing, having dropped in the middle of Agrabah's Marketplace at night. As she expected, the alley she'd dropped into was empty for the time of night, but something felt off. The full moon wasn't the blood moon that she expected, so she knew that she was sometime in the past. But what would be different about this compared to the memory that she'd witnessed with the others?

She slowly stood to her feet, brushing off sand from her clothes and checking to see if she was hurt anywhere else. The back of her head ached from the injury she'd had earlier, just before Aladdin saved her on the ledge before they fell into Cergul's temple. It was hard for her to stay awake, being alone made her realize how tired she was. She also felt guilty acting on impulse despite Genie telling her how dangerous going to Chaos alone would be. That didn't deter her for what she wanted to do.

"I'll apologize to Genie later. I can't give up now, not when Aladdin needs my help. Just have to figure out where to go first."

She found her answer with a series of voices echoing from a distance away, what sounded like a crowd gathering in the middle of the Marketplace. There were only a few times when the Marketplace was open at night. Every other occasion, they didn't have it open for fear of thieves stealing wares more easily and escaping in the darkness.

A horrible rush of dread overcame her, making her chest feel heavy. She ran in the direction of voices, coming across a sizable crowd that carried lit torches. Some of them looked ahead with a mix of fear and disgust, some looked on with curiosity, and others tried to pretend they weren't watching such a spectacle. Jasmine had an idea of what was ahead, but she needed to move forward to confirm it.

"Excuse me. Sorry, I need to get through." Jasmine tried to squeeze through as many people as she could. Some relented without much fuss, others were more rude and ready to shove her aside. But those reactions paled in comparison to what Jasmine saw when she reached the edge of the crowd.

She knew that she'd never seen "the Bear" in person, but she could tell who he was by the thickness of his arms and the thick black whip he held in his hands. His long hair was gathered in a long ponytail and his beard reached his chest. His voice thundered over the crowd.

"Let it be known that this is the punishment to ANY who steal from me for the first time, no matter how small the bounty. I have the right to serve this penalty under my kingdom's and Agrabah law. This...street rat," he paused at the label, spitting the words in disgust, "stole ten items from my cart. Several witnesses confirmed the theft, though we were not able to recover the items he stole. The penalty for stealing in this case, let alone not being able to return what was stolen from me, is to be beaten ten times."

Jasmine gasped at the figure laying motionless at the merchant's feet, seeing where his hands were tied together and how he lay on the platform as if being presented as a sacrifice on an altar. It wasn't the younger version of Aladdin that she was expecting - not the boy whom she saw in the memories she'd witnessed before. It was the Aladdin she knew. His condition was far worse than it'd been in his experience as a boy. It looked like he'd been struck with the whip far more than ten times across his back, several dozen at least. Cuts and bruises lined his back, dark angry streaks lined his exposed skin from the torn fabric of his tunic. Some of the cuts welled with blood.

Aladdin hadn't been a bloodless sacrifice at all. How many times had Aladdin relived this distorted memory? If Jatika and Mirage's words were true, Aladdin had suffered through this same scene far more times than could ever be justified for a his alleged crime.

_This is far too cruel; you don't deserve this, Aladdin._

The merchant - the Bear - didn't hesitate as he doubled the whip in his hands. He spoke as if addressing Aladdin directly. "This is the penalty you face, boy. This is assurance that you will never, ever live to steal from me again."

"STOP!" Jasmine shouted, launching herself from the crowd and grabbing the man's arm before he could bring down the whip. The Bear was clearly stunned, not just at the action, but at the sight of the woman grabbing his arm.

"Who do you think you are, woman?" His voice echoed through the crowd.

"You might know me as Jasmine, Princess of Agrabah. You know, the daughter of the Sultan?" Her voice was light and mocking at first, but turned cold as she stared him down. "And I think what you're doing is _very much_ against our laws."

The crowd gasped. Several murmurs echoed through the crowd. Jasmine had to keep herself from reacting as one of the members of the crowd had mentioned she'd been dead for years. _It's Chaos, it's an illusion. Keep calm. Just focus on getting Aladdin out of here._

"You heard my declaration. I am fully within my rights to discipline anyone who steals from me," the Bear said, his teeth set as he snarled at her.

"That may be what you think, but do you know if he actually stole from you? And is beating him to an inch of his life worth the cost of your wares? I don't think so. You're inhumane to think this is justified. I'm using my royal authority to ask you to step down from this."

The murmur of the crowd became louder, casting doubt on the Bear's actions and questioning if Jasmine was "really the Princess" and noting "she spoke with the same authority as the Sultan would." The Bear felt the pressure in the Princess's gaze and from the crowd. He took a step back.

"W-We'll let the Palace Guard settle this. Don't think that this is the end of my business with you or him." With that, the Bear stepped back and rushed away, carrying the whip with him.

Jasmine turned her attention to Aladdin. She quickly untied the rope binding his wrists together. She studied his back. Close up, his wounds were much worse than she'd been able to see from a distance away. The Bear had really beaten Aladdin to where he was moments from death. He would not have survived being beaten another ten times, much less even twice.

"Aladdin, you have to wake up. Please, please wake up." Jasmine felt tears well in her eyes as she called out to him. He didn't stir, but she realized he was breathing and his pulse was barely there. She had to get him away from the crowd, before the guards showed up to question them. She wasn't sure what her story was in this version of Agrabah, but she didn't want to stick around for too many questions in case it marked her as an impostor.

One of the men of the crowd approached her suddenly. "I can help you get him to his feet, Princess. He looks in bad shape."

She looked up and had to steady herself from the shock of who she saw. It was definitely Imad, or at least this realm's version of Imad. He wasn't a boy anymore; he was a version of the one she knew to the present day. In this realm, at least, he didn't recognize who she was.

He held up his hands, misunderstanding her shock. "Don't worry, I won't hurt him, I'm just the brother of a merchant who sells wares in Agrabah from time to time. Just want to help get him somewhere safe. I know a place we can go. But if we're gonna get there, we need to hurry. He's not going to last much longer out here, especially if the Bear tells his version of the story to the guard and they believe him. The Bear can be _very_ convincing."

The two of them supported Aladdin on each side, helping him to his feet. Aladdin was still unconscious, which made Jasmine's heart ache with worry. Imad called for the crowd to let them pass after they left the platform in the middle of the Marketplace. "Make way for the Princess of Agrabah! Maybe you don't care about me or about this street rat, but at least do your Princess an honor by letting her through! It's her will!"

That - to Jasmine's observation - made the crowd clear out more quickly.

They'd made it a fair distance from the crowd before the Palace Guard ever had the chance to learn about them, but it wasn't long after that they heard the distant whistles of the guardsmen signaling a search. Jasmine felt Imad's steady strike pick up pace. Aladdin grunted from pain, the first sign of life he'd given in a short time.

"Apologies to the both of you - don't mean to rush, but they're coming and we don't have a lot of time," Imad said quickly. "I don't know if you're really the Princess of Agrabah, but maybe you are if you had the guts to stand up to one of the meanest merchants this side of the city. My question is more on how you ended up knowing Aladdin."

"It's a long story, too long to tell while we're trying to get away from them," Jasmine said. "But thank you for your help, Imad." Jasmine realized only after she spoke his name that he hadn't introduced himself. _Oops._

Imad eyebrows rose, his voice humored. "Well, seems like you already know my name, your highness. My reputation precedes me. I hope that's a good thing."

"It's a good thing," she said with a reassuring smile.

They reached the entrance to the underground passage. Imad took a long, deep breath, his eyes scanning the area. "The one time when the guards aren't hovering around this place. Guess if you're royalty you already know this leads the the Palace further in."

"It's not closed off?" Jasmine asked, realizing this was one more difference in the realm of Chaos that was different than the reality she knew.

Imad shook his head. "No, not that I could tell, but if you're royalty, they'll let you through without trouble. Sorry that I can't go with you, but I can buy you and Aladdin some time, at least. Only ask that you make sure he gets somewhere safe and can be cared for. Somehow I don't think I have to worry about that. Feel like he's in good hands with you."

"How do you know?" she asked, genuinely curious.

He shrugged. "Just a hunch. Take care, Princess. Tell Aladdin to do the same, when he wakes." Imad ran off just as quickly as he'd appeared, a hulking shadow crossing the residential district in the light of the full moon. It unnerved Jasmine how much this place reminded her of home - that she had to remind herself she wasn't in Agrabah at all. That the palace she was traveling toward in secret may not welcome her at all and consider her an impostor.

But if she could somehow help Aladdin find his memory before then and escape the realm, maybe they would both stand a chance. That was what kept her moving forward down the path. She looked at Aladdin, still unconscious with a pained expression on his face. She realized she didn't have much more time to spare.

_Stay with me, Aladdin. Just stay with me, please._

* * *

"Do you _really_ think those two will survive?" Mirage taunted as Genie, Abu, Iago, and Carpet stood in the same room with her and Jatika. They'd moved out of the scribes room and into the heart of the temple. Genie didn't answer her, studying the hallway walls of the temple, which had lost their cracked and broken exteriors and looked close to being brand new. It was what he would have done if he'd chosen to revamp the place with his magic.

"Wow!" Abu said, whistling.

"Man, even I'm impressed how this looks, it's almost like it's a different place entirely," Iago said. His frown deepened. "Uh, hate to state the obvious, but if the temple's lookin' this good, does that mean that Al's not doing so hot?"

Genie sighed. "That's what it seems like, Iago. We just have to trust Jasmine can get him back in time."

"As. I. Said." Mirage said more firmly, her eyes glowing. "Did you or did you not hear my question, Genie?"

Genie gave her a side eye glance, transforming himself into the guise of a governmental officer with dark shades. "We are on a no-talking basis, Mirage. Anything you say or do can and will be ignored by yours truly, unless it's a need-to-know basis." He transformed back into his usual form. "But I'm guessing you're not doing anything to us because we have Cergul's gem. So it's a truce, for now."

That made Mirage click her tongue, offering a non-answer of her own. The room went quiet between them. Carpet drifted along behind them all, cautious and ready to scoop up Iago and Abu at a moment's notice if the place started falling apart around them. But the rug also seemed to study - with keen interest - some of the changes in the temple as well.

Jatika hopped along behind them, still tangled in Genie's vines, but at least able to move around. He fell a couple of times, rolling down the hall past them. "Excuse me, my pretty, can you at least get me out of these vines." It was unclear who he was addressing until he rolled alongside where Genie followed Mirage, looking up at the semi-phenomenal being.

"Uh, if this is your realm, shouldn't you be able to get out of those yourself?" Iago said.

Jatika sighed. "I'm a bit low on fear magic at the moment. Trying to kill a prince who won't easily die isn't easy business."

Genie gave him a sharp glance. "Well, when you put it like that, then no. I'm not untangling anyone who's trying to kill my friends. Not even sure why that was a question for you to ask, since I used my magic to trap you."

Jatika muttered under his breath. "Figured it was worth trying. Mirage, will you...?"

"No, Imp. Don't even try asking me." Mirage cut him off.

That surprised everyone - excluding Mirage - enough for them to stop walking. Jatika appeared offended. "_Why not?_ We're working together here!"

"You're annoying me right now, Jatika. And considering you lost the gem when you once had a clear shot of using it on Aladdin, consider that your punishment."

Jatika frowned, puffing out his cheeks. "Well, you lost the gem too, my pretty. And it was not that long ago the Genie fooled you."

That set off an argument between them, which Genie, Iago and Abu were wise to watch from a distance. Carpet was minding his own business inspecting some nearby rooms.

"So, Blue Boy, you sure you can't just sneak into Chaos right now and help Al and Jas get outta there? You're supposed to be a Genie," Iago said in a harsh whisper. "You're not acting very 'Genie-like' right now!"

"Wish I could, my fine feathered friend, but my hands are tied," Genie whispered, not bothering to hide his worry. "Mirage would know the moment I set foot in Chaos. I'm semi-phenomenal, not fully-phenomenal. That would not only put you guys in danger, but them too!"

"The monkey and I could create a distraction and hide the gem between us. Come on, all you'd have to do is mosey into Chaos, make sure you got them both, and come back here. _Easy_."

Genie shook his head. "If it's true that Al lost his memories, coming out of Chaos without having them restored would be too much of a shock, since he's under a fear illusion made by those two. He also wouldn't survive the journey back if he's as hurt as the condition of this temple is showing. Better off the temple, the worst he's getting."

"Oh no, Aladdin," Abu screeched softly.

"I'm worried too, Abu," Genie said, sighing as he looked between them in their mini-huddle. "We'll have to trust Jasmine on this one. I didn't want her to go, but can't help it. She's just as stubborn as Al at times, in both good ways and bad."

"Those two were made for each other, nothing in the seven deserts can convince me otherwise," Iago said, rolling his eyes. "But still, doesn't Cergul's place remind you of the Palace in Agrabah a little? It looks like it's transforming into something like that anyway. Maybe even a castle."

None of them expected the gem to suddenly react at that moment. It started glowing different colors, blinking brightly and rapidly before remaining a solid color of crimson, which continued to glow at a steady rhythm.

"Whoa, whoa,_ whoa!_ Iago, what did _you do_?" Genie asked.

"I didn't do anything, it just started freaking out!"

"Okay, so maybe it's not something you did, but it was definitely something you said," Genie said with a scowl. "It wasn't freaking out before."

"Did ya ever think that maybe it was a horrible coincidence that it started freaking out after I said something? Why is everyone quick to blame me for somethin' going wrong?"

"What are you three doing over there?" Mirage said. But as she approached, her eyes widened in surprise, then turned into an expression of amusement. "_My. _ Seems we have a development."

"What is it, my pretty? What happened?" Jatika asked, rolling over toward them.

"The reaction of Cergul's gem. Looks like Aladdin's moving one step closer to being Cergul's successor. I, for one, am very excited for this news. How about the lot of you?" Mirage's grin widened as she saw the horrified look shared between Genie, Abu, and Iago.

And yet, none of them realized that Carpet had completely disappeared.


	17. Chapter 17 - Remember Us

**Chapter 17: Remember Us**

At the moment Aladdin suddenly woke with a start and fell forward, Carpet appeared to catch him before he hit the ground, shocking all three of them. Jasmine rushed to his side, as Aladdin struggled to catch his breath.

"Aladdin, what's wrong? What happened?"

Aladdin didn't answer her at first as he struggled to catch his bearings. He looked down at Carpet, who gave him a small thumbs up.

"A magic carpet?" Aladdin looked to Jasmine, his voice weakened from pain. "Guess he belongs to you, right?"

That's when Jasmine realized Aladdin didn't remember her at all. Everything that Jatika and Mirage had said, and what she had feared, was right. Her heart sank, tears welling up in her eyes but not falling. It was hard for her to keep them back, but she was trying.

Aladdin looked so apologetic that it made her feel even more guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." He trailed off, suddenly caught in another wave of pain that made him grit his teeth and struggle to breathe.

"Let's stop here and rest. This way," she said, helping Aladdin to rest in a corner of the underground passage. She angled him so that his back wouldn't rest on the rocky wall. She didn't want to aggravate any of the wounds on his back. They looked just as horrible in the light of the flickering torches lining the sides of the wall as they had in the middle of the crowd.

"I'm probably saying all the wrong things, considering you saved my life," Aladdin said, wincing. "I should thank you."

Jasmine shook her head. "You don't have to. Aladdin, look at me. You really don't know who I am? Or Carpet?"

Aladdin studied her then, his mouth parting to speak but closing just as quickly. He looked at Carpet briefly, who responded with an awkward wave. She couldn't get past how hurt Aladdin looked, both from his injuries and from his conflicting emotions. "Feel like there's something I should know, that I should know you both, but I don't. It's hard to think." He closed his eyes, his jaw clenching as he winced.

"Don't force yourself. Just breathe. Rest." She reached one hand out to rest against his cheek, but pulled it away, realizing it may have been too intimate of a gesture to make towards someone who barely knew her. She wanted to touch him, hold him close, if it would make him feel any less alone than the way he looked at her.

"It's not fair," he whispered as he studied her. "You know me, even know my name, but I can't remember yours. Think you said it was...Princess Jasmine? Are you really the Princess of Agrabah?"

"Yes," she said softly.

"Wish I could remember. You're not...someone I would want to forget at all. You do kinda stand out."

Jasmine's breath hitched. She remembered the last words he spoke, because it was among the first she remembered him saying to her around the first time they'd met in the Marketplace. Back before he ever knew she was a princess, and he was just a boy from the market who saved her from a merchant who accused her of stealing. It was an odd irony that in Chaos, in this very moment, their roles were reversed.

Something registered in Aladdin's expression, his brow furrowed. "I said something like that before, didn't I?"

"You did," Jasmine said gently. She didn't want to press Aladdin too hard for his memory. She worried it might hurt him even more. At the same time, she wanted to know if there was a way for him to remember on his own. "What else do you remember, before that merchant hurt you?"

"My mind's hazy, but I remember I didn't have a chance to run away from the Bear before he accused me of stealing from him. He grabbed me from behind and dragged me to the middle of the Marketplace. I didn't - couldn't - do anything. I remember he said something like ten times for the number of things I stole, but it felt like more than that."

"What else?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.

"There were several times I thought I'd run away after the Bear used his whip against me. I was running from the Palace Guards too, I think, but maybe it was a bad dream. This is the first time when any of it felt real." He paused, his brow narrowed as he focused. "I think I found this tunnel, or something like it. Then someone was standing over me, telling me he could help me if I wanted it. Restore my memories, ease my pain, would help me survive the night since he said I'd probably die before the sun came up. It sounded like a promise, but something felt wrong about it. So I told him no, told him to leave me alone."

Jasmine's felt anger bubble up inside her, her fists clenched. She had no doubt what had happened. Aladdin had relived this horrible twisting of his memories, of a trauma he couldn't place. Cergul had offered the promise to help him in this realm, which Aladdin - to his credit - had denied on the strength of his own intuition. And Cergul had started the memory all over again hoping to change Aladdin's answer each time. How many times had Aladdin denied him, and had been hurt over and over again as punishment for providing the "wrong" answer?

_Cergul, you monster._

"Jasmine? What is it?" Aladdin's voice broke through Jasmine's angry string of thoughts. He looked at her with concern. "Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, Aladdin. I'm just...upset over what happened to you. It's too cruel."

To her surprise, he smiled at her. "It's nice to know someone can care about you enough to be angry for you. Even when you don't have the energy or memory to be angry about it." He took a slow, shaky breath. "I wish that I could remember you, Jasmine. And Carpet too." Carpet perked up at the mention of his name. He flew to the other side of Aladdin, opposite of where Jasmine sat beside him. He used one of his knobs to lightly pat Aladdin on his forearm. Aladdin used his hand to run over the top of Carpet's rim, like he was petting the head of a tiger. In response, Carpet moved all of his limbs like he was wagging several tails. Aladdin chuckled.

"Seems like he's a handful," Aladdin quipped.

That made Jasmine smile, her nerves easing a little. "He is sometimes, but he means well."

Aladdin's smile faded as he turned his attention back to her. "At least, if this is the last time I get a chance to talk to anyone like this, I'm glad it's with you guys. Even if...even if I don't remember anything about how we knew each other."

Jasmine looked at him with alarm. "Aladdin, don't talk like that. You'll remember eventually. You'll remember me. You'll remember _us_. You'll remember everything."

"Us? Everything?" he repeated. He sounded so tired that she knew he was struggling against the urge to sleep.

"Yes. You don't need to worry about that, there's always time. So, don't say things like it's the last time." She cupped one side of his face in her hand. He reached up to cover her hand with one of his. It wasn't to move her hand away, like she thought, but to cover it, like he didn't want her to move away. "I'm not going anywhere, Aladdin. I promise." She kissed him then, as deeply as she could without hurting him. He didn't move away, welcoming and deepening the kiss. It was so familiar to her that it hurt to know he couldn't remember, but she hoped some part of him did, that she could reach that part of him.

"Jasmine, I hope that this isn't just another illusion. When I wake up that I'm not in the same nightmare."

She nodded. "You're not. Not anymore." As he closed his eyes and she could hear his steady breathing, she added one more thought. _Not if I have anything to say about it._

* * *

Aladdin wasn't sure how long he slept, but when he woke, Carpet was covering him and Jasmine like a thick blanket. He looked around the underground passage, realizing its significance. His memories had come back in waves, like dreams that weaved in and out of his mind. His back didn't feel like it was on fire anymore, and he wondered if the wounds he'd suffered in the looping memory had only been temporary. Some part of him knew that he'd been trapped, but he couldn't fight the influence. Over time, it had been worse, his body drained of energy, wounds repeated in succession with no chance of recovery. If he had gone through the loop one more time, he likely would have died. Carpet and Jasmine had somehow broken the cycle.

At least that's what one part of him understood.

"Jasmine, you awake?" Aladdin asked softly.

She stirred, slowly at first, then opened her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now than before. Guessing we're in Chaos now. We need to get back to Genie and the others somehow."

Jasmine's eyes widened as she sat up quickly to face him. "You remember everything?! When? How?"

Aladdin tried explaining the best way he could. When he finished, he took a shaky breath. "I even remember when I didn't recognize who you and Carpet were. That's the only way I can explain what happened and why. I'm sorry Jasmine, didn't mean to worry you."

She shook her head. "You don't have to apologize, not for what Cergul, Mirage and Jatika were doing to you. Can I ask one thing, though? It's going to sound selfish asking it now, but..."

He had a good guess, so he finished her unfinished thought. "About what really happened with the Bear? Why I didn't tell you guys sooner than now?" When she nodded, he groaned. "It wasn't a secret, like I said. It didn't bother me either because I had put it behind me. I have more than a few stories like this one growing up in Agrabah as a street rat, Jasmine, but they never made me bitter about who I am or where I came from. The only reason I told Abu was because he asked about how I knew Imad. Think he might've been a little jealous of how happy I was to see Imad after so many years. It was around the time Imad first returned to Agrabah. I hadn't seen him in maybe ten years before that point."

Jasmine snorted. "Abu was jealous over you meeting Imad again. That's...something."

Aladdin laughed a little. "It was funny because Abu got _major_ attitude about it. Like he kept mocking Imad because of his big, goofy personality. Imad even picked me up when he saw me for the first time - that's how happy he was. Imad's much taller now than he was compared to me when we were kids. Abu was wondering how I knew such a gentle giant of a merchant, and well..." Aladdin's smile faded. "I was honest with him about it. I said it wasn't an easy story to tell. By the time I finished, Abu looked like he wished he hadn't asked."

Jasmine nodded. "I thought you knew Imad from the general merchants in Agrabah by the time I met you. Didn't think to ask at all. I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory for you, Aladdin."

Aladdin used his fingers to rake his hair away from his face. "That's not what bugs me. It's a memory that Cergul wanted to use to hurt me, hurt all of us. I had a feeling that was the connection before we ever got here, but I didn't fully understand what he intended. Now I get it. Just wish I'd known before I agreed. Now I know what I need to do."

He began to get to his feet, but winced, his body stiff from being at an odd angle for so long. Jasmine helped him up but gasped as she looked at Aladdin's back. "Aladdin, your wounds are..."

"Some of them are still there, but it's not as bad as it was," he finished. "Yeah, I know. It was mostly because I believed they were real. That's how things work in Chaos. Genie and I have been here before, been through similar things because of Mirage. Works a little different, but similar to the magic in the Moonstone Oasis which Jatika controls. Those two are more alike than they think."

"How do we get out of here?" Jasmine asked. "When you lost your memory, I thought about going to the Palace to see if my father...no, to see if the Sultan in this realm would be able to help, but I'm presumed dead in this world."

Aladdin's eyes widened. "Seriously? Of all the twisted...wait." He stopped, giving himself a moment to collect his thoughts. "If this is an illusion, then we may not need to go that far, Jasmine. There's an easier way out of here."

Carpet looked about as confused as Jasmine felt, considering the rug used one of his knobs to scratch the top of his head.

Aladdin closed his eyes, going through the plan in his mind. He even put his hand to his mouth, speaking into it for a moment, though she couldn't understand what he was saying. Jasmine realized it had to do with the phrase he was cursed under. As he opened his eyes again and looked to her, he seemed resolute. "This is going to be risky, but I think it'll work. Just need you to trust me on this."

She nodded. "You know I do."

"Right." He stepped forward, towards the direction of the Palace in the underground passage. She thought they were going to move in that direction, but Aladdin suddenly started shouting his words through the tunnel, the echo of his voice traveling down the passage. "I know you can hear me, Cergul! We know we're in Chaos and we know what you were planning! Take us back to the real world - I'm ready to give you my answer."

A long silence drew out as Aladdin's voice echoed along the passage. The flames on the torches lining the walls only flickered a little. Aladdin felt his muscles tense, but he waited. It was only when Jasmine's voice came behind him that he realized they weren't alone.

"Aladdin, he's behind us!"

Aladdin turned around, and saw the familiar mist demon that Cergul had come to embody. He wasn't expecting the human form by any means, but he wondered if Cergul really had retained any of his humanity at all.

_It seems you have finally accepted your presumed fate, Aladdin. I had hoped you would come to your senses sooner, but it seems that you managed to avoid death in order to make your decision. I suppose in part that was thanks to your Princess._

"Don't see how it makes any sense to try to kill me if giving you my answer is supposed to result in the same fate," Aladdin snapped.

Jasmine was standing behind Aladdin, but the way she held the sides of his arms with her hands gave away her anxiety. He turned to look at her briefly, mouthing the words "Trust me" with his lips before turning back to Cergul.

Cergul's laugh was low. _It was to ensure that you understood your path, street rat. Very well, we shall return._

* * *

Several things happened in the middle of the hall of the temple in which Genie, Abu, Iago, Mirage and Jatika stood. They all first noticed that he the walls returned to a more cracked appearance, shifting in a series of shimmering lights that spread over the area they stood in.

"Wait, the walls went back to the way they were before?" Iago said. "But weren't they just...?"

Genie's expression brightened. "Willing to bet that means Jasmine did it. Al's okay."

"Yay!" Abu said, clapping his paws together.

MIrage was not happy about that, but couldn't get a word out as another light blinded them all. When it disappeared, Aladdin, Jasmine and Carpet stood a distance away from them, getting their bearings.

"You guys!" Genie said, hugging Aladdin and Jasmine in a group hug while transforming into an overly large and animated stuffed bear. But the Genie-Bear looked confused as he saw Carpet waving from being squashed between Aladdin and Jasmine in the hug. "Rug Man? How did you end up going with them? You were behind us."

Iago shrugged his wings. "I'm wondering if the Rug disappeared after Cergul's gem freaked out that one time. Not sure how, but I mean...happy coincidence?"

Jasmine ran her fingers over the top of Carpet's head. "Even if it was a coincidence, I'm happy he showed up when he did. He's at least part of the reason why Aladdin was able to regain his memories."

Aladdin looked up at Genie as the semi-phenomenal being transformed back into his usual self. "Genie, do you still have Cergul's gem? Jasmine told me what happened while I was in Chaos."

"Yeah, still here, kid." Genie pulled Cergul's gem from his pocket. "So what's the plan? We bash it, smash it to smithereens?"

Aladdin shook his head, holding out his hand. Genie gave it to him. "Breaking it won't do any good, Genie, not how things are and from what we were able to figure out about Cergul's curse. And even if there were a rightful place to put the gem in the temple, it would just be left for someone else to find. We found all the clues related to the curse - there wasn't any space in the rooms we searched for the gem to be placed other than where Iago and Abu found it."

"Soooo, what's the next step after that, then?" Iago said, sharing a confused look with Abu.

Aladdin's words were firm, and as he spoke them, Genie, Iago, and Abu's expressions fell to ones not hiding their horror. "I'm summoning Cergul and giving him my decision. This ends here and now."


	18. Chapter 18 - Answer

**Chapter 18: Answer**

Mirage's eyebrows rose. "Well then, that took an unexpected turn. That makes our jobs much easier."

Jatika seemed equally surprised. "He's that determined to give up on his life. Eh, works for me, my pretty."

"Al, what are you doing?" Genie said. "If you summon Cergul, he's going to kill you. That's a part of the magic contract, you can't undo this!

Jasmine put a hand on Genie's arm. "Genie, Aladdin knows what he's doing. I know he wouldn't make that decision if there wasn't some other path to take. Trust him. Please."

Aladdin knew that the initial way Cergul had been summoned was by the book of curses that Iago found in the library and having to read the script on the gem. Genie had returned Cergul by reciting the curse backwards. But Aladdin's link to the gem was direct - all he had to do was hold the gem and ask Cergul to come out.

"I know you hear me, Cergul. Come on." Aladdin said as he held the gem to his chest.

Cergul's form filled the hall, hovering over the group as his low laugh filled the area. _It seems you are ready to give me your answer, Aladdin. You know the phrase. All that's left for you to do is to speak it for all to hear._

Aladdin nodded. "Before that, let me ask you a few questions, just to learn the truth of everything. You owe me at least that much, right?"

Cergul only hesitated a moment. _ As long as you understand it doesn't change your fate._

Aladdin asked his first question while speaking through his teeth, because it was hard for him to hold back how angry he was about the truth. "First, Iago and Abu were never in any real danger of being cursed by you, right? You can't curse non-humans, can you?"

The shock of everyone in the room was more felt than heard, as Cergul confirmed Aladdin's suspicion. _Yes, I cannot curse multiple beings, nor can I curse non-humans. It was convenient for the bird to speak your name after he summoned me. But I will also admit that I thought it was you who directed them to the gem, by measure of a greed that didn't exist._

Aladdin looked over his shoulder to Mirage and Jatika. "You two knew this, that's why you manipulated Iago and Abu to find that map and the so-called 'treasure'."

Mirage shrugged casually, a smile on her lips. "It was a convenient manipulation, but one that worked in our favor and plan to destroy the lot of you. Even if Jasmine or the Sultan's name had fallen out of that bird's lips - it would have worked the same way."

Iago and Abu both turned paler shades of their normal colors at the same time. And it was rare form to see Iago look so guilty that it made even Genie flinch.

"For you to stand there so casually and play with our lives like that..." Jasmine started, but Genie placed his hands on her shoulders, shaking his head.

Aladdin turned his attention back to Cergul. "Which brings me to the next question - every other person under the curse you've placed on me has been either near death or dead, right? Which is why you've tried to kill me multiple times up until now."

Cergul answered him quicker this time. _The curse works better on those who are already dead for the purposes of judgment of vice. It's true that I was testing your resolve, your strength of will. You've done well in that, Aladdin. But like every human, you have your vices._

Aladdin's jaw clenched. "That might be true, but at least I own up to them. I try to change and I actually care about the people around me. Do I deserve to die because of that?"

_Moot question,_ Cergul said tersely. _ As long as humans have flaws, those flaws will be imposed to harm others. Your own vices have deeply hurt those you care about, am I wrong?_

To Aladdin's surprise, Genie answered Cergul's question without a second thought. "Even if Al's actions weren't always the best decisions he's made, he's always tried to act in a way that helps or protects us. It isn't only for his benefit. And none of us can say we ever wanted him dead because of his flaws."

Jatika snorted. "I beg to differ. Flaws or virtues, I still wish he was dead."

Iago chose that moment to pull a scroll beneath his feathers, handing it to Abu. "Here, I grabbed this spare one while we were downstairs. You have better aim that me."

"Me?" Abu said pointing to himself. He quickly realized what Iago was suggesting he'd do with the scroll. He took the scroll from Iago, screeched a few times at Jatika's words, and threw it - with almost perfect aim, at the imp's overly large forehead. The imp wailed with the impact, rolling around on the floor in protest while trapped in his vines. Mirage only reacted by pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

Carpet chose the moment to give both Abu and Iago high-fives.

Are you truly asking these questions for your own measure, Aladdin? Or are you buying time? Cergul suddenly snapped. Because I don't care for games. You know what you must do.

Aladdin turned his attention back to Cergul. "No, I'm asking you because I want to know the truth. This won't take much longer - one more question before I give you my answer. You're not the boy we saw in those visions, are you?"

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Iago said, just as Cergul went very quiet and very still. "We saw him, Al. Cergul showed his last memories to us. There wasn't any mistake about it."

Genie's eyes lit up with recognition at Aladdin's words. "Holy guacamole, Batman, I did not see that one coming."

Aladdin shook his head as he looked at Iago. "We had the story all wrong. Because we were taking the legends about Cergul's past as truth. The truth isn't what we thought it was. Cergul IS the demon. He's always been the demon, he was never human. He only profitted off humans he was able to manipulate under his terms. I'm betting that the sorcerer who trapped him in that gem knew how dangerous he was, so the curse continues if Cergul can take those souls who fit his terms. Cergul - the demon - lied to us about not wanting to be summoned. The only one who didn't want to be summoned was the soul of the last person whose live he took. The kid who did nothing wrong but only wanted to make sure it didn't happen to someone else. The true street rat."

Cergul remained quiet, his distorted face twisted in an angry sneer.

Jasmine's eyes widened. "He's...not denying it."

Aladdin took a step forward, continuing. "I was your perfect victim. You had no true remorse for showing me the fated deaths of my friends. You took me to places that reminded me of the pain of my past, not realizing that I wasn't held back by it. Instead, I _learned_ from it. You tried to trap me into thinking there weren't ways of helping myself or helping my friends. You used every single thing you could to try to kill me and say that there were no other options. And the more obvious tell to me," Aladdin made sure to punctuate his next words. "A true street rat doesn't use the pain of their past to belittle other street rats. We've lived that experience so we know it all too well. You've _never_ lived that life. You just targeted people who did."

Mirage's jaw dropped open.

Cergul remained still in the silence of the room, before he chose to speak again. _And yet knowing this, you still summoned me. You still seem resigned to your fate._

"I know what I have to do. And I don't have any regrets, regardless of what happens," Aladdin said, his voice quiet as he looked at the gem in his hand. "This is the only way I know how to end this."

"Al, don't!" Genie called out, but Aladdin's eyes remained focused on Cergul. As the gem began to glow, Aladdin's words echoed through the hall, a mix of the old language Aladdin had been speaking and his own words. But none of them were prepared for what Aladdin was going to say.

_"I...will always...refuse to...live in the castle."_

The gem shattered in Aladdin's hands, just before he fell to the ground.

* * *

_You really were smarter than the streets you were born on, Aladdin._ Cergul's booming voice echoed through the entire temple. He appeared to laugh, but it was one without humor as he began to fade away. _ You have broken the main vessel I used to steal the souls I used to survive and pass judgment on their vices. You found a way out of our contract and have broken the cycle permanently. I told you that you needed to recite the phrase to break your curse, but you realized that I never said you couldn't add words to it, and thus refuse my terms. You saw right through me, boy._

"Aladdin!" Jasmine ran to where Aladdin lay on the ground, but his skin was pale, and he wasn't moving. Genie, Iago, Abu and Carpet ran to surround him.

"Al figured all that out on his own and took a chance on it, even when he didn't know the truth for sure. He only knew once Cergul answered all his questions." Genie said, sadly, recognizing Cergul's statement. He looked up at the mist demon. "Does that mean we're free from your terms too?"

_I have no power to harness, nothing to tie any of you to me anymore. Aladdin never fit the terms, as much as I tried to force him to become my next stolen soul. I knew of the saying that street rats don't do well in cages. I thought he would be crushed in the cage I created for him, with some leverage to give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps I am the fool more than he. Humans...are complicated...creatures._

Cergul's form faded away, leaving the halls of the temple quiet.

Jatika sighed, watching the group from a distance away, still trapped in the bundle of vines wrapped around his middle. At least he'd gotten most of the vines that were wrapped around his feet clear. "I suppose we failed in this effort my pretty. But there's always a sliver lining in terms of what we can do next."

"_Next?_ Are you under some illusion I don't know about?" Mirage snapped, her eyes flashing as she grabbed the imp by the throat. "Cergul was a massive disappointment. You said this was a sure fire plan!"

At the same time, Aladdin woke with a start, looking up towards the faces of his worried friends as they surrounded him from where he lay on the temple floor. "You guys okay?" he asked.

"Okay? OKAY? We should be asking you that question. We thought you were dead!" Iago shouted. "Don't speak all casually after what we just saw."

Genie sighed. "The bird's right. You gave us a scare, kiddo."

Aladdin sat up on his own, though Genie rested a hand on Aladdin's back for support anyway. "There wasn't time to warn or explain what I wanted to do; the curse went out of me the same way it went in. Felt like it ripped my heart out of my chest. I didn't think doing any of that was going to kill me, though. Not by Cergul's word anyway. The whole contract was made on false terms."

"He still could have hurt or killed any of us while enforcing that fake contract, though;" Jasmine said. "Aladdin, you planned on calling him out on his lies from back when we were in Chaos, right?"

He nodded. "That was the only time I really understood what Cergul was trying to do and why. I made the connection through all the things he did to us when my memories came back. But I still had to confirm it from the questions I asked. He knew, though. He always knew." Aladdin balled his hands into fists, even as his voice grew more quiet as he spoke.

"It's as I say - it takes a liar to know a liar. On that, Al's got us all beat," Iago said, groaning. "Guess we didn't think the hero's flaw would come in handy."

"Uh, Iago, you do realize you fit under that 'flaw' too, right?" Aladdin said, giving the bird a side-eye glance. "You're not exactly the most honest bird in the seven deserts, last time I checked."

"But see for me, I'm not a hero, I don't count."

Jasmine laughed. "I think you can be a hero when you want to be, Iago. You just don't want to admit it. But Aladdin," she turned to Aladdin then, genuine relief in her expression. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm glad that worked out better than expected, Princess. But again, I wouldn't have gotten out of that memory loop I was trapped in if it hadn't been for you and Carpet. I know you told me I didn't need to, but...thank you."

Genie used his magic to grow several arms with hands on his body, all clapping while Genie used his announcer voice. "Let's give the Princess of Agrabah and magic rug a round of applause. Whoo-hoo."

"Come on, Genie, that's not necessary," Jasmine said, though Carpet leaned into the celebration by flying a victory lap over their heads.

Abu screeched to get the group's attention, pointing a distance away from them with concern. Iago was the first to voice the monkey's statement. "Yeah, I'm with Abu on this one. I'm not sure we should be celebrating yet if Evil Incarnate Times Two is still over there."

"They look like they're arguing a lot," Aladdin said, his brow furrowed. "Wonder what that's about."

"If I had to guess," Genie mused. "They're probably figuring out which one of them screwed up the most, since they didn't get that boost of fear magic they wanted from destroying us. Guess their plan of using Cergul to their own ends didn't work out the way they expected." Genie's expression turned a little pained, which didn't escape Aladdin's notice.

"Genie, what's wrong?"

"So, knowing what we know about Cergul now, we realize he wasn't a victim in all this, but the mastermind perp. We had it all wrong. That means..."

His voice was cut off by a sudden violent shaking of the temple. Abu started screeching in a panic. "Earthquake! Earthquake!"

Aladdin shook his head. "The temple's falling apart. Since Cergul's gone, there's nothing to hold it up anymore. We gotta get out of here before we're crushed!"

Genie transformed into a flight attendant. "All right, everyone on the the magic carpet. No talking, eating, or singing while there are falling debris. Keep calm and we should be at our destination shortly, thank you."

All of them piled onto Carpet as he flew through the hall, dodging as many falling debris as he could.


	19. Chapter 19 - Grave Attempt

**Chapter 19: Grave Attempt**

Mirage taunted Aladdin and the group as she was a fair distance ahead of them. "Enjoy being buried alive in here with your friends, Aladdin. You won't be able to find the exit without a map!" She disappeared quickly, her laugh echoing through the crumbling hallway.

"This isn't good," Aladdin said, even as Carpet stealthily avoided a wall that almost crushed them. "Does anyone still have the map? I know we're underground, but we have to get topside to get out of here."

"Don't worry kid, I got you guys covered. I made a copy of the map, remember? That's how I found where you went. And I actually memorized it," Genie said, pointing to his head for emphasis.

Iago grimaced as the area shook. "I don't suppose you memorized all the trap doors and hidden rooms in this place so we can avoid getting trapped in one place, did you?"

Genie was a little less confident in his words. "Most of them, enough to count. We just need to stick to the main path and we'll be just fine!" When Carpet took a sudden turn, Genie had to brace himself to keep from falling off the rug. "Whoa, easy on the moving around there, Carpet. I know you're avoiding big large things crashing on us, but making us fall off won't do any good either."

"Once we get above ground, it should be easier," Jasmine said. "What if we find a quick exit instead of making our way to the entrance? The trap door that Aladdin and I fell through might be a good place for us to fly with Carpet out of here."

"Good call, Jasmine," Aladdin said. "Question is whether we can get to it from here."

Genie winced. "We might have to take a long detour. The area that would've led us straight to it just fell in. I point to Exhibit B to our right." Genie said as Carpet slowed to a stop, where two paths they could have taken had dead ends. The area still shook, but the tremors were more spaced out than before.

"Can't you just zap us out of here, Blue Boy? What happened to that offer you were making to Al earlier? He said you offered to take us back to the Palace when we still were fighting Cergul."

Genie winced again. "Okay, see the thing is, I might've overstated my semi-phenomenal power in here. When I was being chased by our feline enemy, I used up too much magic. My engine's running on fumes. Lack of power, lack of sleep." He transformed into a little monitor sitting between Aladdin's open palms where the needle pointed to a large E, before transforming back to his usual self beside Aladdin. "I could try, but we may not end up outside, just in another place in the temple. And it may not be where we want to go."

Iago folded his wings across his chest, slumping into his seat on Carpet. "Well, that's useless."

"Don't give him a hard time, Iago," Aladdin said, turning his attention to Genie. "Still, Genie, it may be better for us to not be underground, we'll definitely get crushed down here. You think we can at least have your magic take us one level up?"

Genie cracked his knuckles. "I think I can manage something as simple as that. Hang on to your seats, we're getting out of here!" Genie used his magic to make them disappear, just as the area they were resting caved in.

Where they ended up was more complicated. Aladdin recognized the area, indeed one level up, but they were much farther from the exit they wanted to take than before. He also noted what Iago said aloud before he could even utter the words.

"Not only are we on the opposite side of the temple where we need to be, you take us to an area with NO windows to fly out of? Some semi-phenomenal dork you turned out to be."

"Iago, don't judge him. We're in a good place," Jasmine said. "We just need to find what our next route will be."

"How many levels does this temple have?" Iago asked. "I know we had the map, but I could only read so much of it."

"Three," Aladdin said. "We just came from the underground. We're in the middle now."

"So stuff can still fall on our heads, and we can fall through the floor too. Not to mention trap doors and hidden rooms to dodge. Great!" Iago said. "Well, maybe I can't fall through the floor. I have wings, so I have no problem avoiding floors that cave in. But stuff falling on my head, I have a problem with."

The area started violently shaking again. Abu screeched in panic.

"We need to get out of here," Aladdin said. "Carpet, take us as fast as you can through the hall. Genie, we just need you to tell us what direction we need to go in."

"Gotcha kid. Let's goooo!" Genie said as Carpet took off at full speed.

* * *

Even as the temple shook and walls almost collapsed on top of the group, Carpet managed to avoid several close calls. It was an unexpected cave in from the ceiling that startled all of them. Carpet had to avoid falling furniture from the rooms above. It wasn't until they were a distance from that cave-in that Genie spoke.

"Everyone okay? That was a doozy, but Rug Man, you've gotta work on your steering."

"Guys," Aladdin said, his voice filled with growing horror as he was the first to realize who was missing. "Where's Abu?"

A low groan answered them a distance behind them in the hall. Abu lay near a group of debris. He'd avoided the worst of the debris it seemed, but it looked like he'd fallen off Carpet and hit his head on something. He was definitely hurt.

"Abu! Hang on, I'm coming!" Aladdin leapt off Carpet, running down the hall they just flew through until he reached Abu. He scooped up Abu in his arms. "You okay pal?"

"Owwie." Abu said, but he looked up at Aladdin with relief.

"Aladdin, that area's not safe!" Jasmine called out to him. "You have to get out of there."

"I'm coming back now, don't worry," he said. But as he spoke the words, he realized that he may have spoken too soon. The area shook so violently that he couldn't get to his feet right away. Jasmine, Genie, Iago, and Carpet were directly in his line of sight. He took a moment to get his bearings and ran toward them, thinking he had time to reach the group. But a part of the hallway's floor collapsed from above, cutting off the path Aladdin was moving toward. He stopped abruptly, holding Abu close to his chest as he realized more of the ceiling was about to collapse on top of him. He ran in the direction behind him, but his feet hit a weak area of the floor. It gave from underneath his weight.

"Genie!" It was the last thing Aladdin managed to say as he fell and the area gave way above him.

* * *

Abu groaned, realizing that he'd fallen a fair distance, but had luckily landed on something soft. He wasn't sure what it was until he poked at it with his paw. A cushion that once belonged to an otherwise broken chair. When Abu was able to focus, he looked around the room. It was the room above the historian's room, the room with all the scrolls and shelves they'd seen when searching for clues about Cergul. The area was dark and hard to see. He realized that some of the furniture from the room above had fallen in where he and Aladdin had once been.

Thinking about Aladdin sent the monkey into a panic. Where had Aladdin gone? Had he fallen further in? He screeched a few times, calling out to Aladdin, but there wasn't an answer. When he tried again, he heard another familiar voice calling out to him.

"Al! Abu! Where are you guys?!" Genie called out.

"Down here! Down here!" Abu repeated, emphasizing his location with a whistle. It didn't take long for Genie to reach him.

"Hey monkey boy, you okay?"

"Owwie." It was the same thing he said to Aladdin before they were separated. Genie studied the monkey's head, then realized Abu had a big bump on the side to show for his discomfort. It made the semi-phenomenal being wince with second-hand pain, if something like that existed.

"Yikes, that's not gonna go away in the morning. You get that falling off Carpet?"

"Uh-huh. Too fast." Abu screeched.

"Yeah, no kidding. But where's Al? I thought he was with you."

Abu shrugged, pointing a finger around the damaged room. It wasn't until they saw there was another gigantic hole in the floor that they realized it may have been where Aladdin fell, leading to the room with the scrolls they'd searched before.

Genie's expression grew more concerned. "Oh no, you think he fell all the way down there? He's probably not in good shape after a fall like that."

"Aladdin," Abu said, his voice breaking.

"I know, monkey. I'm worried too." Genie offered his hand, which Abu quickly scurried up and perched on his shoulder. "You stick with me, we'll find him together, okay?"

A loud rumble interrupted Abu from saying much else. It was a distance away, but it was a very real reminder of the collapsing temple around them. Genie whistled low. "Yeah, better do it sooner than later before this place crushes us flatter than a pizza."

* * *

When Aladdin woke, he realized he'd fallen much father than he thought. He was back in the room with the scrolls - the Historian's room. Instead of being well lit with torches, the area was dark. It was hard to see. Several of the shelves had collapsed around him, scattering some of the scrolls on the floor. Some of them lay directly in the path of his feet. He kicked them away to try to wiggle out from beneath a partially collapsed bookcase. He just managed to clear it before the bookshelf fell in the place where he once lay. It likely would have hurt him badly enough to leave a mark. He groaned, shaking his head.

But as he looked himself over, he realized he wasn't hurt from the fall. The wounds he had were the same from earlier that night.

"How did I fall down here without so much as an extra scratch?" He wondered aloud. "I must have fallen two levels at least." Then he realized Abu was nowhere near him. Before he could say anything, he heard Genie's voice in the room above him.

"Al! Abu! Where are you guys?!"

He heard Abu's reply in the room above him, which immediately eased his nerves. _He's alive. Good. Still weird I fell down here and he ended up landing up there. It's almost as if someone helped us survive the fall down here._

He realized that his thoughts weren't too far from the truth when two long clawed hands wrapped around his neck.

"Hello, my pretty. It seems we meet again." Jatika's voice by Aladdin's ear filled him with dread, but it wasn't enough to overtake the fact that the imp was trying to choke him to death. "I had a feeling it was better for me to come back inside to make sure you were dead. Mirage wasn't keen on possibly getting crushed by Cergul's temple, but I thought I'd come back to make sure this wasn't a completely failed mission."

"Let...me...go..." Aladdin struggled to speak, but his voice sounded weaker than he wanted to. Jatika only took the opportunity to throw Aladdin to the ground then. But before Aladdin could recover much of his breath, the imp put one of its hands over Aladdin's mouth to keep him from calling for help. The other clawed hand wrapped over Aladdin's neck, not as tight as when the imp used both hands, but enough to keep Aladdin from putting up much of a fight.

"You should give me credit for using my fear magic to save you and the monkey. It was the last I was able to use for the moment. I don't need magic to squeeze the breath from your lungs, though. I thought of various ways of killing you, and this stood out the most. Less messy."

Aladdin felt his body growing heavy. It was harder to focus. "Stop...Jatika."

"Ooh, hearing you beg for your life with my name as your last words? That's so _touching_, Aladdin. I'm _honored_." That only made the imp squeeze his neck more, claws pinching at the skin of his neck. Aladdin gasped for air. His hand tried to reach for a scroll to use as something to knock the imp off, but his fingers only reached so far, possibly touching the end of an overturned shelf. He couldn't see anything to grab near him.

Aladdin could barely see Jatika's glowing eyes in front of him in the darkness. The imp sat on Aladdin's chest, so that made it harder to fight him. Not that Aladdin had much energy to fight in the moment.

"I suppose this is goodbye for you, my pretty. You came so close to leaving this temple alive. You survived everything Cergul threw at you. And your monkey and Genie saved you from me a few times. Too bad that history won't repeat...OWWWW!"

Aladdin could barely register the familiar screeching of his best friend. He gasped for air, coughing as Jatika released his neck.

"Ow, monkey, will you stop hitting me with those scrolls? OWWWW!"

"Kid, you okay?" Genie was at Aladdin's side shortly after, as Aladdin struggled to sit up, leaning his back against the wall.

"Genie," Aladdin's voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm okay. Jatika just tried to..."

"I know, I saw some of it. Abu got to you first. Breathe, Al. Just breathe." Genie put a reassuring hand on Aladdin's shoulder as Aladdin looked up at him. "He's not going to hurt you anymore, not if we have anything to say about it."

Abu returned to the two of them, clearly concerned for Aladdin as he gently tugged on Aladdin's arm with his paws. "Aladdin okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good, Abu. What happened to Jatika? He get away?"

Genie sighed. "Between my magic blasts and Abu's expert scroll-throwing skills, I think that imp won't be bothering us anytime soon. But man, Abu, you put Iago to shame with your accuracy."

Abu flexed his skinny arms. The gesture made Aladdin chuckle a little.

"Abu should sign up for the next Palace Games. He could compete against the Sultan for the ring toss," Aladdin said, somewhat joking but he knew Abu would do well in something like that.

"Awww," Abu said, leaning his head against Aladdin's arm.

Aladdin looked up at Genie. "Let's get out of here and go home. I think we've all had enough of this place for one night, Genie."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, kiddo. Come on. Jasmine and the others are already outside waiting for us."

Aladdin slowly stood to his feet, when something caught his eye standing behind Genie a fair distance away. He gasped at the sight in front of him, because it wasn't just the fact that they weren't alone, but the fact he recognized the figure all too well.

"Al, you okay?"

Aladdin moved foward, towards the figure that stood in the corner of the room, away from any of the overturned bookshelves. It was Aladdin who spoke first as he addressed the boy in front of him. "Are...are you real?"

"Yes and no," the figure spoke, his voice an echo hovering in the room. "I wanted to reach you before you left the temple, Aladdin. I know you don't have much time, and I know you want to stay alive. It doesn't do much of us others any good though."

"How did you know I was here?" Aladdin said, struggling to speak.

"I saw the imp coming this way. I wanted to stop him, but there's so little I can do, being the way I am. Observe." The boy moved forward, passing through Aladdin's body like sand passing through spread fingers. Aladdin gasped, turning around to face the boy again. He saw Abu and Genie watching the figure as well. Abu couldn't stop his own jaw from dropping wide open.

"G-Ghost?" Abu asked.

Genie shook his head. "Nah, that's a spirit, Abu. Makes more sense in this place, given everything that's happened."

The spirit continued to speak. "So you see, I was no help to you. I'm sorry for that. You could have died just now. You're lucky to have such loyal friends. I only wish I could have had the same back then."

Aladdin felt his heart growing heavier in his chest. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you. We don't...we don't even know your real name. We thought Cergul was you. I didn't realize the truth until it was almost too late."

"I can at least tell you my real name. It's Talal. It's nice to know someone actually cares, even when I'm like this." Talal shrugged his shoulders. "Thank you again, Aladdin. You saved me, and all the ones that came before, from that demon. We saw everything. You were really brave to do everything you did, even with what it could have cost you. I wish we - I - could repay you somehow."

Aladdin shook his head. "You don't need to repay me for anything. Not you or anyone else who's free from Cergul's power. But I promise I"ll tell your story, so people actually know the truth about who you really were, instead of the lie that keeps spreading about Cergul."

Talal smiled. "That would make me very happy. Farewell, Aladdin. I wish you a very prosperous and wonderful life." Talal held up his hand, and in return, Aladdin placed his hand alongside Talal's. It was the only connection between him and the boy that perished long before. His hand was cold, but Aladdin didn't pull away as he watched the smiling boy disappear.

Abu and Genie had the same sad expressions as Aladdin met their gazes. A rumble in the distance broke the silence between them.

Aladdin sighed. "Let's go home. We can tell the others what happened later."


	20. Chapter 20 - Epilogue

**Chapter 20: Epilogue**

_Two days later..._

Aladdin looked up at the starry sky on balcony, overlooking the Palace's courtyard. It was the first night that the normal moon shown above Agrabah, bathing the city in its cool blue light. It was a comforting sight compared to the crimson moon that had shown over the city.

Jasmine walked up beside him, leaning on the balcony ledge. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I missed it honestly. I wonder if that means we won't get any blood moon nights for a while."

Jasmine shrugged. "I'm hoping not, makes me feel better to come outside on nights like this." She looked at him, studied him carefully. "How are you feeling?"

Aladdin shrugged, moving closer to her. "Sore, but still in one piece. I know it's been only a few days, but it feels like we lost a whole day from just sleeping in. We were out that whole night and didn't get back to the Palace until mid-morning. Iago already shut himself in his room and told everyone not to bother him for a whole week."

Jasmine laughed. "At least he's agreed not to go treasure hunting any time soon. But seriously, has Genie seen anything from Jatika or Mirage in the past few days?"

Aladdin shook his head. "No. The temple's completely disappeared from the Moonstone Oasis too, from what he said. Not just from Cergul disappearing, but Jatika couldn't keep up holding the dimension in his realm with his magic. I'm just hoping we won't hear anything from the two of them for a while." Aladdin's brow furrowed. "By the way, where is Genie?"

Jasmine smiled at him. "I think it might be better to show you rather than tell you, otherwise you might not believe it. Follow me."

Aladdin wasn't expecting to follow Jasmine out to the other side of the Courtyard. She pointed by one of the fountains. Aladdin's eyebrows raised in amusement as he saw a sleeping Rajah, seemingly happy in his own dreams, while Genie - dressed in a nightcap and sleepshirt, snored contentedly while resting on the side of the tiger.

"Well, that's a sight to see. Uh, is Genie going to be okay staying like that? Rajah's not going to come after him, is he?"

Jasmine laughed. "Stop teasing, Aladdin. I"m just glad to see Rajah back to his normal self. Then again, if he realized Genie was using his side as a pillow, maybe his normal would be to chase after Genie for it."

"Better leave them alone for now then. Not a bad sight honestly, seeing those two get along. Just don't tell either of them I said that."

Jasmine shrugged. "Your secret's safe with me. Come on, there's one other thing I need to show you tonight. We're going to the Marketplace."

Aladdin's brow furrowed. "The Marketplace? This time of night? For what reason?" He sounded skeptical.

"It's a good thing, I promise."

The two of them walked the Agrabah streets at night, which were mostly quiet other than a few street urchins playing ball and some vendors talking to each other about how much they were able to sell that day. It wasn't anything unusual, nothing apart from what Aladdin usually saw in the city.

It wasn't until they reached the Residential District that Aladdin saw the difference. Many of the buildings had been restored, to Aladdin's shock.

"Jasmine, are you serious? How long did this take?"

Jasmine nodded in the direction of the newly built homes. "You can thank Genie for this - he was working hard on making sure these buildings were ready for people of Agrabah to move into safely. It's not fully complete, but it's coming along. For some of the people living here now, though, it's a homecoming long overdue."

"No wonder Genie was so tired. That's awesome, Jasmine. I'm glad he was working on this."

"I'd be lying to you if I said that was the only thing. But I figured I'd let him tell you in person."

"Him?" Aladdin studied her, wondering what else there was. Apparently Jasmine had taken his cue on keeping secrets. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but as long as it was good news, what right did he have to complain?

The voice behind him was not someone he expected to hear at all. "Hey stranger. Long time no see. Heard you were getting some recovery time in from the last big adventure you went on."

Aladdin whirled around. "Imad? Is that really you?"

Imad smiled his signature boyish grin, even with almost a full beard and his tied back hair, as he greeted Aladdin with warmth. "Of course! And I'm happy to say I'm a newly planted Agrabah resident now. I might still travel to sell wares, but at least I'll have my feet planted somewhere. Not bad for a fellow street rat, right?"

"So I get to see more of you around here, then?" Aladdin said. "That's...wow."

"Thank your Princess. She was the one who made the suggestion. You've got good people surrounding you, Aladdin. I'm kinda impressed and jealous at the same time. But I mean, for the guy who's one of the bravest people I know across the seven deserts, you got a good backbone behind you."

Aladdin ran his fingers through his hair, a little sheepish. "Yeah, you could say that. I'm really lucky."

Imad motioned his head to a group of guys sitting next to a bonfire. "Come on, I want to introduce you to my neighbors."

Jasmine watched both Aladdin and Imad walk over to the group of merchants around the bonfire, with Imad chatting them up in a lively yet awkwardly geekish way. Jasmine knew that it had taken years for Imad and Aladdin to reunite after such a horrible encounter for the two of them, but she was glad to see Aladdin reconnecting with him.

"So, did I tell you guys about how Aladdin's had several adventures? He's a legit hero."

Aladdin shrugged, sharing a look with Jasmine as he spoke his words. "I dunno, Imad's a hero himself. I should tell you guys about the time he saved my life."

**The End**


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